Solutions to pod shatter to be discussed at Pollinator

One of the big issues with oilseed rape is unsynchronised pod shatter, where fruits open in the field and seeds fall to the ground; in the UK pod shattering leads to the annual loss of 11-15%.  With an annual worldwide production of 38 million tons of oil this represents a major loss of production.

A reason for pod shatter is that the crop is more recently cultivated than wheat and barley and still has many ‘weedy’ characteristics; improvements in breeding are needed to overcome this problem.

Professor Lars Østergaard, John Innes Centre, is working at the forefront of research in this area and he will be sharing the findings from his recent work at the Pollinator event. 

Professor Lars Østergaard and Chris Tapsell KWS will both be speaking about their work before the meeting takes on a ‘speed dating’ format allowing participants to discuss problems and solutions in relation to crop breeding.

Agri-Tech’s New Innovations in Crop Breeding Pollinator will take place at Norwich Research Park, Centrum, Norwich, NR4 7UG at 4pm on 13th October, 2015.

For more details see events.