DESIGNING FUTURE WHEAT OPEN DAY

Designing Future Wheat (DFW) is a five-year RCUK/BBSRC funded research program on wheat improvement and breeding.

During the DFW Open Day, we will provide an overview on the ongoing DFW research programs and our guest speaker Matt Kirton (DSV) will share a breeders’ perspective. There will also be an opportunity to visit Rothamsted Research’s world class laboratories and facilities in the morning.

The afternoon will be spent at the Rothamsted Research farm in Redbourn (10 min drive from the conference centre, transport provided for those who don’t have vehicles) for a hands-on display of our ongoing research projects and discussion with DFW scientists.

DFW is a collaborative project of multiple UK research institutes, universities and breeding companies – working together to enhance the genetic diversity used for wheat breeding, improving grain yield, nutrient-use efficiency and resilience of wheat in the UK and beyond.

10:00 – 10:30 AM Arrival

10:30 – 10:40 AM Welcome and logistics

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM Presentations

Keynote: Matt Kerton, DSV

DFW overview: Graham Moore (JIC)

Wheat Genomes - from one to a hundred: Keith Edwards (Uni Bristol)

Genetic resources: JIC

12:00 AM – 12:45 PM on-site visits (please sign up on the day for a maximum of 2) An opportunity to visit some of our laboratories and facilities at Rothamsted Research

1. Transformation laboratory/gene editing & Glasshouses
2. Historic Archive Sample Collection
3. Scanalyzer phenotyping platform
4. Bioimaging
5. Insectary
6. Dry spectral lab
7. TILLING wheat lines in Glasshouses
8. Bioinformatics
9. Take All

12:45 PM – 01:40 PM Lunch at RRes Conference Centre

01:40 PM – 02:00 PM Transfer to field site (Blackhorse, Redbourn)

02:00 PM – 04:00 PM Field visit to our trial plots, see and discuss our latest wheat research.

ECOFE

1. WGIN diversity - N, plant protection, drones
2. Drone demonstration
3. T6P (Sugar signalling)
4. Pathology
5. Well on Wheat
6. Mapping populations
7. Breeders Toolkit
8. Root scanning
9. Zinc and iron
10. Rht lines - plant height (pot display)
11. Tillering under heat (pot display)
12. Take All root disease (posters)

04:00 PM End of official program