Slug Resistant Wheat

任何园丁都很清楚鼻涕虫有多讨厌，它们可能造成的毁灭性破坏，以及它们有多难控制。对农民来说也是如此，但在更大的范围内--他们的生计依赖于在没有早期放牧破坏的情况下良好地种植作物。如果不加以控制，鼻涕虫每年将给英国农民造成高达1亿GB的损失。农民们严重依赖含有化学物质的鼻涕虫颗粒的使用，作为一种预防措施，经常将其传播开来。以前使用的杀虫剂被禁止使用，因为它们进入饮用水或伤害有益的昆虫，只剩下一种现在使用的(磷酸铁)--这是不可持续的，对环境也不好。另一种方法是观察作物的适口性。作为Defra资助的一个项目的一部分，诺里奇John Innes中心的科学家们发现了一种100多年没有种植的小麦，这种小麦可能具有一种早已消失的特征，使它不适合鼻涕虫。这是一个令人兴奋的开始，但在进一步调查和田间测试之前，我们不能确定它可以如何使用，鼻涕虫会有什么反应，或者它们是否会克服对小麦的厌恶，以任何方式吃它。这个项目将第一次让农民直接参与到小麦育种前的研究中，最终进入他们的田地。它将探索改变作物本身实际适口性的方法。任何人都可以通过收集鼻涕虫并将它们送到实验室来参与这个令人着迷的项目。在那里，他们将被提供给他们选择现代和长期消失的小麦，并仔细检查他们的饮食习惯。这将为一组鼻涕虫侦探-密切参与该项目的农民-进行田间试验提供信息。他们将在田里测试这些小麦中的一种，并仔细监测鼻涕虫的行为。如果成功，科学家们可能能够准确地找出遗传原因，并为今天用于生产我们食物的作物培育更具弹性的作物，而麻烦的鼻涕虫损失更少。更少的化学物质散布在田间意味着更健康的土壤和更低的碳排放，帮助我们实现气候变化目标。更重要的是，农民密切参与开发这些新技术将确保未来的种植制度具有弹性，并为子孙后代提供丰富的资源。

Any gardener knows well what a nuisance slugs can be, the devastating damage they can cause and how difficult they are to control.It's the same for farmers, but on a much bigger scale -- their livelihoods depend on getting crops well established without the early grazing damage slugs cause. If they weren't controlled, slugs would cost UK farmers a whopping £100M every year.Farmers rely heavily on the use of slug pellets that contain chemicals, often spreading them as a precautionary measure. Pesticides previously used were banned because they got into drinking water or harmed beneficial insects, leaving just one now used (ferric phosphate) -- this is not sustainable and it's not good for the environment.An alternative approach is to look at the palatability of the crop. As part of a Defra-funded programme, scientists at John Innes Centre in Norwich have identified a type of wheat, that hasn't been grown for over 100 years, which may have a long-lost trait making it unpalatable to slugs. It's an exciting start, but until it's investigated further and tested in the field, we won't know for sure how it can be used, how slugs will react, or whether they'll just get over their dislike of the wheat and eat it anyway.This project will, for the first time, bring farmers directly engaged with the pre-breeding wheat research that eventually makes its way to their fields. It will explore ways to alter the actual palatability of the crop itself. Anyone can get involved in this fascinating project by collecting slugs and sending them into the lab. There, they'll be offered a selection of both modern and the long-lost wheats and their feeding habits scrutinised. That'll inform field trials with a group of Slug Sleuths - farmers closely involved in the project. They will test a selection of these wheats in their fields and monitor slug behaviour carefully.If successful, scientists may be able to pinpoint the genetics responsible and breed more resilience into today's crops used to produce our food, with less loss to troublesome slugs. Fewer chemicals spread on fields mean healthier soils and lower carbon emissions, helping us meet climate change targets. What's more, the close involvement of farmers in developing these novel technologies will ensure the cropping system of the future is resilient and abundant for many generations to come.