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SAC Heads Europe-Wide Research Boosting Use Of Nitrogen-Fixing Plants

SAC News Release Ref. No: 10N20
Published: 11 Mar 2010

Researchers representing 12 other EU countries will be in Edinburgh to join scientists in Scotland in a consortium seeking better ways to use legume crops.

The three-year €4m programme will be coordinated by SAC.  Legumes are plants like clover, peas and beans which, as well as producing their own crop, also fix nitrogen from the air and make it available for plant growth. Researchers from SAC and the Scottish Crop Research Institute will fulfil the UK commitment to the project funded under the EU framework.

Farming in Europe is not making the most of what legumes can offer.  As they are very different from crops like cereals they can be used in rotations to interrupt the build up of disease.  Legumes can also replace animal feed or fibre crops imported from elsewhere in the world.  They may even have a function as energy crops and their nitrogen fixing capability gives them an additional role in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide. The aim of the research is to identify the best way to use legumes in each of Europe’s climatic zones, identify the most suitable crop and design a cropping system that reduces farming’s environmental impact.

The three-year SAC-led programme will bring together data from a network of 18 case studies in 12 countries across Europe.  In addition to studying the plants and crop systems themselves, they will consider the impact on farmers, small businesses and policy makers. The consortium will make use of innovative ways of gathering and disseminating the knowledge gained, including on-farm demonstrations and the publication of a book on growing legumes.

The purpose of next week's series of business meetings is to agree and confirm working arrangements for the programme.

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SAC Contact

Dr Bob Rees
Senior Soil Scientist
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4365
Fax 0131 535 4144

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News Release Issued By

Mr Ken Rundle
Senior Communications Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4196

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