Press Releases
University of Reading at the Chelsea Flower Show- Securing the future of fruit
Release Date : 18 May 2010
Nutritious, and to most extremely delicious, the consumption of fruit is a must for many. But climate change, pests and diseases and rapidly changing markets mean there are growing challenges for the future of fruit production, including UK favourites such as Cox's Orange Pippin and Bramley's Seedling.
Visitors to this month's Chelsea Flower Show will discover how the University of Reading is helping to secure the world's supply of fruit. All week, experts will be on hand to explain the important research being undertaken at Reading and at the National Fruit Collection in Brogdale, Kent.
The work focuses on increasing the utility of the collection, which contains over 3,500 samples of different fruit varieties, to help researchers and breeders withstand the changes to future climate. Genetic analysis will allow a better understanding of the genetic diversity in the collection and cryopreservation will create a back-up to the collection's living trees.
The University has been responsible for scientifically curating and maintaining the collection since 2008. Owned and supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Brogdale is one of the largest collections of fruit crops in the world. It is recognised both within the UK and internationally as a highly valuable genetic resource.
The Reading team provide expertise in horticulture, molecular genetics, statistical analysis and information management, and in partnership with the Farm Advisory Services Team (FAST) provide expertise in the latest agronomic crop management techniques and commercial trialling.
"There is now a broad agreement that future climate change is likely to lead to challenging conditions for almost all crops," explained Dr Matthew Ordidge, Scientific Curator for the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale. "During the Show we aim to illustrate how the work at the University of Reading will help researchers, breeders and commercial growers tackle the challenges of maintaining sustainable fruit production in the future.
"Many people know the National Fruit Collection exists but perhaps do not recognise its status as a genetic resource. Brogdale houses varieties of both historic and current importance to the UK, including varieties thought to date back to the 1500's such as Autumn Pearmain. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand and explaining how we are helping safeguard those much loved varieties as well as other fruits' future."
"In order to ensure the security of the collection maintained in the field at Brogdale, we are establishing a back-up resource of cryopreserved cuttings," added Dr Andrew Wetten from the University of Reading's School of Biological Sciences. "Buds must be collected in mid-winter in a dormant state which helps them survive the additional drying needed prior to long term storage in liquid nitrogen (at -196°C)."
The University is currently developing the National Fruit Collection website and database. The website will provide the public and researchers with easy to navigate access to information such as descriptions of the accessions at Brogdale and genetic analysis collated during the curational work. Commercial growers and the breeding/research community will benefit enormously from the database, allowing them access to descriptive data and genetic marker information for many of the accessions.
The Collections are situated at Brogdale Farm on the outskirts of Faversham, Kent, and are open to the public. Please visit www.brogdalecollections.co.uk for details on visiting the collections.
Ends
For more information please contact James Barr, press officer, on 0118 378 7388 or email j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk
Notes to editors
The National Fruit Collection is owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of the UK's National Collection of plant genetic resources. The work of the University of Reading and FAST at the collections is funded by Defra under a project entitled "The long term maintenance and scientific curation of the National Fruit Collection"."
University of Reading:
The University of Reading is rated as one of the top 200 universities in the world (THE-QS World Rankings 2009).
The University of Reading is one of the UK's top research-intensive universities. The University is ranked in the top 20 UK higher education institutions in securing research council grants worth nearly £10 million from EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, AHRC and BBSRC. In the RAE 2008, over 87% of the university's research was deemed to be of international standing. Areas of particular research strength recognised include meteorology and climate change, typography and graphic design, archaeology, philosophy, food biosciences, construction management, real estate and planning, as well as law.
Standards of teaching are excellent - the University scored highly in the National Student Survey 2009. 87% of Reading students responding to the survey stated they were satisfied with the quality of their course.
The University is estimated to contribute £600 million to the local economy annually.
University of Reading is a member of the 1994 Group of 19 leading research-intensive universities. The Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching. Each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience. www.1994group.ac.uk
DEFRA
is the UK government department responsible for policy and regulations on the environment, food and rural affairs.
FAST Ltd:
Project partners the Farm Advisory Services Team Ltd (FAST Ltd) have responsibility for the maintenance of the collection. FAST Ltd is the largest advisory group in the UK providing advice, technical support and analytical services to commercial fruit growers. A trials area has been set up at Brogdale Farm to demonstrate developments in growing fruit crops and to test new varieties. Fast Ltd has had a close working relationship with the University for over 15 years. www.fastltd.co.uk/
Brogdale Collections:
The Collections are situated at Brogdale Farm on the outskirts of Faversham, Kent, and are open to the public. Brogdale Collections is a social enterprise company with the principal aim of creating awareness and interest in the National Fruit Collection and to enhance the long term sustainable future for the living collections at Brogdale Farm. www.brogdalecollections.co.uk
2010 festivals at Brogdale
Cherry 10 & 11 July
Cider 25 & 26 September
Apple 23 & 24 October
2010 Event Dates
Soft Fruit Day 27 June
Plum Day 15 August
Nut Day 19 September