With a membership of more than 3500 subscribers, NIAB/TAG will be unveiling its new membership package at Cereals 2010.

The new membership plans will be rolled out in the coming months to replace the TAG Direct and NIAB Association brands. NIAB/TAG staff will be available to discuss the benefits of membership and special offers will be available.

Growers and traders will be invited to test their barley variety identification skills using NIAB/TAG’s new interactive web-based ID program for grain and compete to correctly identify ten different varieties of barley.

As the UK’s pre-eminent crop research, trialling and knowledge transfer centre NIAB/TAG’s crop plots will showcase the organisation’s pre-breeding and plant genetic research work, skills in seed and variety evaluation and leading edge scientific services.

This includes a look at wheat through the decades, how and why yields and genetics have changed and the potential for the future. There will also be a display of synthetic wheats and input from the John Innes Centre (JIC) on wheat diversity.

NIAB/TAG’s work in applied agronomy research will be demonstrated by variety plots on yellow rust resistance and a trial of input programmes on wheat. The spray applications work of Silsoe will also be demonstrated.

Chief Executive Dr Tina Barsby will award the NIAB Cereals Variety Cup to the variety that has shown outstanding merit and value in its marketplace.

It has been six months since NIAB and TAG joined forces with an aim to revitalise the connection between the science base and practical agriculture, and improve prospects for UK crop production to meet the challenge of increasing yields while reducing environmental impact.

• Cereals 2010 exhibitor information as supplied by NIAB/TAG