Can we develop novel phytonutrients from whisky production to produce barley sustainably in a changing climate?

苏格兰威士忌行业致力于到2040年实现净零排放，今年苏格兰威士忌协会推出了新的可持续发展战略（SWA, 2021）。在不到二十年的时间里，要显著减少对环境的影响，需要“端到端”的创新解决方案，使整个供应链受益。苏格兰威士忌需要高产量和高质量的麦芽，其中近90%是在苏格兰当地种植的。要维持这一状况需要大量投入，而这些投入目前成本高昂且不可持续。此外，从生产方面来看，酿酒厂衍生的副产品需要有效和可持续的处理。一个潜在的解决方案是利用这些副产品开发新的植物营养素，可用于大麦作物的初级生产，提供一个循环可持续的生长系统，减少对投入的需求，同时最大限度地减少对蒸馏废物处理的需求。从历史上看，海藻和其他藻类已经被成功地用作农场或农场大麦的营养供应，但要大规模生产以生产蒸馏所需的数量和质量的谷物是不切实际的。我们建议研究应用这些新的副产品衍生营养素对大麦生长的影响，与标准的麦芽制度投入相比，在一系列不同的大麦品种上，这些品种通常是为了麦芽而种植的。我们将比较产量和籽粒特性，包括籽粒氮和最终的麦芽品质性状。此外，我们将确定这些营养物质对根和土壤根际微生物群的影响。结合从最初的温室控制实验中收集的性状数据，以及之前产生的遗传数据，我们可以开始了解养分吸收的遗传控制。这将使我们能够确定更适合利用新营养来源的大麦品种，并确定可用于下游育种计划的潜在遗传标记，以整合这些可持续性性状。博士候选人将有机会利用詹姆斯·赫顿研究所长期建立的遗传和基因组资源，获得这些重要领域的经验，以及植物和土壤生理学。重要的是，通过与芝华士兄弟的密切合作，他们将发展与行业相关的技能，特别是麦芽和蒸馏。

The Scotch Whisky industry is committed to reaching net zero by 2040 and this year the Scotch Whisky Association launched its new Sustainability Strategy (SWA, 2021). With less than two decades to significantly reduce the environmental impact, 'end to end' innovative solutions are required that benefit the whole supply chain. Scotch Whisky requires high yielding and good quality malting barley, of which almost 90% is grown locally in Scotland. To maintain this requires considerable inputs, which are currently costly and unsustainable. In addition, from the production side, distillery-derived by-products require efficient and sustainable disposal. One potential solution is to use these by-products to develop new phytonutrients that can be used in the primary production of the barley crop, providing a circular sustainable growth system, reducing requirements for inputs and at the same time minimising need for disposal of waste products from distilling. Historically, seaweed and other algae have been used as a nutrient supply to grow barley on farms or crofts successfully, but to scale production to generate the quantities and quality of grain required for distilling would be impractical. We propose to examine the effects of applying these novel by-product derived nutrients on barley growth, in comparison with standard malting regime inputs, on a range of different barley cultivars which are commonly grown for malt. We will compare yield and grain characteristics, including grain nitrogen and ultimately malting quality traits. Furthermore, we will determine the effects of these nutrients on the microbiome populations of the roots and soil rhizosphere. Combining trait data gathered from initial glasshouse-controlled experiments, with genetic data generated previously, we can begin to understand the genetic control of nutrient uptake. This will allow us to identify barley cultivars that are better suited at utilising novel sources of nutrients and define potential genetic markers that can be used in downstream breeding programmes to integrate these sustainability traits. The PhD candidate will have the opportunity to exploit the long-established genetic and genomic resources available at the James Hutton Institute, gaining experience in these essential areas, along with plant & soil physiology. Importantly, they will develop skills relating to industry, specifically malting and distilling, through the close collaboration with Chivas Brothers.