HARPER ADAMS
HARPER ADAMS
SHOWS OFF
ITS RESEARCH
ONE of the biggest exhibits planned for this years Science Into Practice area was from Harper Adams University College, making its first appearance in this section with a poster display covering some of the current research projects selected from a wide range of topics involving approximately 50 research workers.
Projects planned for inclusion in the exhibit covered both stock and arable subjects, and for sugar beet growers the main point of interest would have been an investigation aimed at reducing post-harvest sugar losses from damaged beet.
This is a three-year programme funded by the British Beet Research Organisation, and its aim is to investigate losses due to damage during harvesting and subsequent handling operations. The financial cost, in terms of sugar loss due to degradation following bruising and other damage, has been estimated at £12m/year in the UK, and the research team lead by Victoria Spackman are using a range of laboratory tests to find out more about healing processes which take place after damage has occurred.
Some of the beet used in in the investigation is hand dug to avoid damage, and some is conventionally harvested and handled.