Department project list

Genetics and Biotechnology

ACROSS

ACROSS (Autonomous spatial-temporal Crop and Soil Surveying)

The general vision is effective precision farming, which in harmony with the environment utilises resources optimally. This requires continuous selective and adaptive control of growth, weeds, diseases and pest. In turn such control is conditioned on corresponding continuous monitoring in the field using appropriate methods of measuring the current conditions of and for the plant growth. The objective of this project is to develop methods of measuring and managing such information to support the above vision in a way that invites also new innovative approaches to precision farming by providing the necessary information on demand and in time for planning and decision making.

Developing a Seed Cluster Consortium

Seed production has been identified as a national and regional competence in Denmark and in the counties of Storstrøm and Vestsjælland. It is estimated that Danish seed production still has excellent possibilities for further development; however, the prerequisite is a continued product development and adjustment of the production technology.

The business development within seed production in the counties of Vestsjælland and Storstrøm is strengthened through networking between seed producers, seed companies, producers of cleaning equipment, fertilizer companies and partners involved with teaching, research and development and technology transfer in the seed cluster.

The seed cluster will develop educational programmes for persons actively working with seed production and/or related activities. This facility does not exist at present. Dissemination of new knowledge will be enhanced using IT-based teaching and by demonstration and implementation of new cultivation techniques at local seed growers. These activities will support the continued development of advising and improving the grower’s expertise in order to maintain and expand results obtained within the seed cluster.

Initiation of new research projects is stimulated in order to maintain further development and continued adjustment of management and production technology. One focus area is seed quality / seed technology, since there at present are no or very limited activity in this area within herbage and vegetable seed.

Endophyte

The fungal genus Neotyphodium is known for its association with many classical cases of livestock disorders. In particular, N. coenophialum in fescue and N. lolii in ryegrass have been well-studied. These cases were attributed to the consumption of toxins produced by the endophyte in the grass. Endophytes also have been known to impart several advantages to the host grass in terms of insect resistance/deterrence and stress tolerance. In the recent years, there has been a lot of interest on these beneficial aspects of endophyte-grass associations. Denmark has one of the largest exports of grass seed in the world and seed companies are interested in using the beneficial endophytes in their commercial varieties.

Protein metabolism in wheat

Exploring the asynchronous protein metabolism of wheat

The specific objectives of this project are:

To assess the impact of agronomical and environmental constraints for quality parameters in contrasting Danish crop varieties.

The development of novel ‘single-kernel proton (1H) MAS NMR spectroscopy’ and adaptation of rapid analytical methods of quality compounds with near infrared transmission (NIT) and near infrared reflectance (NIR) technology to explore the wheat metabolism during grain filling.