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Government Departments: Research and Data

Answer

All Defra evidence contracts are closely monitored by Defra specialists working with policy colleagues. Contract variations are required if there are significant changes to any of the details in the original agreement (eg costs, required outputs, timetable, research team, etc). The project IF0128: ““The impact of shortened rotations on rhizosphere microbial diversity”” was extended for a further 122 days at a cost of £30,065. The reason for the agreed change was to enable the research group to investigate the impact of an extended crop rotation interval on fungal communities in the rhizosphere of oilseed rape in relation to yield decline. The research has already shown significant reductions in oilseed rape yield when it is grown more frequently in rotation, and this year will demonstrate whether a longer gap between oilseed rape crops can restore yields. Specifically, the extended time and cost would be used to (i) collect and process field samples from the final year of The Arable Group field trials on arable rotations, (ii) extract DNA from samples and use molecular techniques (Polymerase Chain Reaction—Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) to characterise the rhizosphere fungal communities of oilseed rape grown in extended rotations, and (iii) use molecular techniques (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) to quantify the levels of specific fungi in the rhizosphere community to determine whether they are related to reduced yields observed with more frequent cropping.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

11296; 729 c408WA

Session

2010-12

Related items

Government Departments: Research and Data
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Written questions
House of Lords

Notes

Answer received between Monday 25 July and Monday 1 August 2011.

Subjects

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Research Arable farming

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk