Five crop science projects funded under Bayer – Niab Challenge Grant Program

A new partnership between Bayer’s Crop Science division and Cambridge-based plant science organisation Niab will see researchers embark upon a series of innovative research projects focused on exploitation of genetic diversity in wheat, control of flowering in strawberry, root symbiosis in wheat, and phenotyping technology.

The five projects, which got under way this autumn, have been funded under the Bayer - Niab Challenge Grant Program, an open innovation challenge created to support innovative science in areas of interest to both organisations.

Bayer will provide financial and mentorship resources, with a total award of £100,000 over one year and access to its leading crop science researchers, who will provide guidance as the research progresses.

Dr Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation and Outreach for Bayer’s Crop Science division said: “The Bayer – Niab Challenge Grant Program provides an exclusive opportunity for Niab scientists to receive funding for cutting edge ideas and connect with the Bayer team for their execution.

“We are looking forward to advancing innovations together in what is an exciting time for plant science in the UK as it moves forward with detailed regulations for precision breeding in England.”

Credit: Niab

Two of the projects aim to advance understanding of the genetic diversity in wheat.

Niab Director of Research Prof Xiangming Xu, who will coordinate the research programme, said:

“We are using two different approaches to help us better understand and exploit genetic diversity in the D-genome, facilitating further genetic discovery and exploration of haplotypes linked to useful traits such as disease resistance.”

A third project in wheat will investigate how the symbiosis between plant roots and specific soil microbes can improve nutrient use efficiency and resilience to abiotic stress and examine whether genomic information as well as root architecture can be used to predict the potential of plant and mycorrhizal symbioses.

Credit: Niab

Niab’s expertise in horticultural genetics, based at its world-class centre of excellence at East Malling in Kent, will also be harnessed in a project investigating temperature-dependent flowering regulation in strawberries.

Bayer acquired Niab’s long-standing Strawberry Breeding Programme in 2023, enabling its Crop Science division to provide premium genetics combined with innovative crop protection products and digital solutions to growers in the expanding protected strawberry market, with varieties also available for open field production.

The Bayer – Niab Challenge Grant Program’s final project will develop tools for using multi-spectral images to phenotype key plant traits such as health and nutrient status, advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in phenotyping for research and commercial agriculture.

“With this funding we have been able to set up projects focused on basic research or development of new tools across a range of crop science areas. This is an exciting opportunity to work with Bayer to verify new ideas and take them forward,” said Prof Xu.