RESEARCH INTO new barley varieties has received a boost after the Scottish Crop Research Institute was awarded £3m worth of research contracts.

The SCRI say the funding will be used to extend existing work on understanding the genes important for controlling characters such as yield, quality and environmental sustainability.

A better understanding of this will allow breeders to better tailor varieties to meet industry requirements, said the SCRI’s barley research programme leader, Robbie Waugh.

Future varieties could also be developed to improve the impact of growing the crop on the environment, he added.

The £3m total is made up of around £2.7m from DEFRA LINK, SEERAD, Biological Sciences Research Council and another £300,000 from an EU program looking at the genetic processes underlying disease resistance.