BrachyTAG, Brachypodium, food and energy security

Food and energy security

During a time of increasing environmental changes, growing population, high commodity prices and reduced energy inputs, innovative solutions and approaches are needed for food and energy production

Clean, sustainable and ethical food and energy production

Require synergy between:

  • Economic growth
  • Social fairness
  • Consumer benefits
  • Environmental protection

Future developments will need to integrate a wide variety of stakeholders around a common vision. This vision should result in tangible trans-national benefits in the developed and developing world.

The application of science will be critical

Plants give us food and energy

Plants underpin most of our food and energy sources. Today, cereals provide over 60% of the calories and proteins for humans and livestocks. Unfortunately, cereal crops are often difficult to study and improve.

Plants also underpin most of our fossil and bio-renewable energy sources. Photosynthesis transforms solar energy and CO2 into food and biomass.

Understanding how plants work is critical

A better plant model is needed

  • Models enable cheap, fast and efficient science.
  • Knowing how genes work in models is essential.
  • The current plant models are too different from cereals or too difficult to use.
  • With a new model, a wild grass Brachypodium (closely related to wheat) we can take a big step forward in understanding the biology of temperate cereal crops and biomass grasses (switchgrass or elephant grass).

The BrachyTAG project is enabling the identification and tagging of key genes involved in all aspects of plant development, reproduction, environmental adaptation, biomass and yield of cereals and grasses. This knowledge will enable scientists to unlock the potential of wheat and grasses for food and energy.

It costs £50 to produce a Brachypodium T-DNA plant and to make the seed and DNA sequence available to the world. Governments, charities, industry or individuals can contribute to the BrachyTAG international community resource by philanthropic sponsorship