Scotland's First Minister has opened a new multi-million pound centre which will develop and pilot pioneering crop breeding technologies.
John Swinney was joined by UK Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, to open the Crop Innovation Centre (CIC) at the James Hutton Institute.
The CIC is home to the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) and the International Barley Hub (IBH), both funded as part of a £62m investment.
The centre includes some of the UK's best crop breeding facilities, with a focus on future-proofing UK food production.
Professor Colin Campbell, chief executive of the James Hutton Institute said: “We received funding for the Crop Innovation Centre in 2020, and the project is underpinned by decades of research at the institute along with partners.
“It cements the reputation of Scotland and the UK as global leaders in research and innovation."
Barley is the predominant crop grown in Scotland, partly due to its key role in the world-renowned Scottish whisky industry, which accounts for 75% of the country’s food and drinks exports.
However, given climate change and other environmental challenges, coupled with increasing demand for the crop; research into genetics and breeding is seen as important to safeguard production.
The IBH will promote innovation to tackle these issues by piloting new breeding technologies such as precision phenotyping and crop management using data from sensors and drones.
And the APGC aims to revolutionise crop production systems to produce food locally, 365 days a year, with less environmental impact.
It will utilise facilities like indoor vertical farms, which use LED lights to mimic optimised outdoor conditions, accelerating the breeding and growing of climate resilient and low input crops.
Researchers at the James Hutton say the technology will enhance the UK’s capabilities to lead a rapidly expanding market, expected to be worth $62bn by 2025.
UK Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray said: "The International Barley Hub will deliver world leading research for a crop which is vital to our whisky, beer and food sectors.
"The Advanced Plant Growth Centre will revolutionise crop production to address critical food security issues.
"Both projects will be key to our future food security, and to ensuring a thriving future for rural communities everywhere.”
The 8000 sq mtr building will be powered by a high-performance data 'computer farm', which is one of the largest in the UK, and will also house a phenotyping centre, due to open in spring 2025.
Over the next 10 years, the centre is projected to contribute to over 900 collaborative industry projects supporting an additional 2,600 jobs in the UK.
It has been estimated that it will contribute over £900m GVA to the UK economy, over half of which will be in Scotland.
