Scientists at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) in Invergowrie, Scotland’s leading centre for research on crops, have been assessing the latest climate data and say it indicates that change is already well under way north of the border. This means even greater uncertainty for Scotland’s farmers over their profit margins and that they will also have to battle previously unknown pests and plant diseases as a result of climate change.
As the UN Intergovernmental Panel on climate change issues its latest report on the impact of global warming, the Scottish scientists say farmers will have to adapt the way they operate.
The director of SCRI, Professor Peter Gregory, says: “Changes to temperature, rainfall and the length of growing seasons are projected to continue and gather pace. Summers will be warmer and drier, and winters warmer and wetter…with less snow and frost.
“More extreme and variable weather, and changes in winter rain and snow fall, will mean big changes for the farming industry too. Growers are going to have to use more resilient and adaptable crop genotypes with plenty of disease resistance,” Professor Gregory continued. “Farmers will also have to think about coping with floods in winter and at the same time come up with methods of surviving periods of drought in the summer months.”
SCRI has a strong track record in responding to climate and environmental change, particularly in the development of appropriate management practices. Scientists at Invergowrie have also used genetic resources to combat new pest and disease problems and stresses caused by physical and chemical factors.
In continuing to develop its research relevant to climate change, SCRI will develop partnerships with universities and other institutions to enhance knowledge that can counter global warming, while also working with commercial firms to ensure that knowledge and innovation reaches the market place as quickly as possible.
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