BioResources Group

Pest Management Science

SCI Members' News

Wheat: the way forward?

Wheat provides the ‘bread and butter’ for many industries involved with farming. Growers are sandwiched between companies supplying agrochemicals, fertilisers and seeds, and the downstream value chain, which is poised to become more diverse and potentially much more valuable. Industry sectors traditionally associated with the production of food and animal feed are being joined by others offering opportunities for wheat as a feedstock for biofuels, bioenergy and other high-value bioproducts.

Wheat is the most widely grown, highest yielding and often the most profitable crop for arable farmers in north-west Europe. This success has been underpinned by decades of agronomic research and the development of new wheat varieties, supported by the introduction of safe and effective crop protection chemicals. So successful was the post-war strategy to secure Europe’s food supply, that the past 25 years have resulted in large wheat surpluses. However, now the game is changing. On the one hand, interest in biofuels means that such a ready source of starch looks like an attractive feedstock, yet last season saw grain prices more than double. World stocks fell due to increasing consumption, while drought-affected low yields highlighted the danger of complacency over plentiful supplies.

The ‘food vs fuel’ debate usually focuses on grain markets. What about straw? Before the burning ban, millions of tonnes of straw generated huge amounts of energy, wasted in thick black smoke every August. Second generation fuels promise more attractive fuels from biomass, such as wheat straw. However, the economics and net energy gain from ligno-cellulose in straw depend on how crops are grown, the development of efficient enzymes, possibly the acceptance of GM crops, and the logistics involved in transporting feedstock to processing facilities.

While acknowledging the latter problem, could the act of simply burning straw in order to generate heat and power, be more preferable? Could extracting specialty chemicals or even pharmaceuticals from GM crops provide the greatest value from wheat feedstock processed in biorefineries? It should not be forgotten, however, that even apparently unwanted straw left on the field can be a valuable source of organic matter essential to the structure and quality of soil.

Whether or not wheat is the way forward for bio-feedstocks is a complex question. The answers are rooted in what bioscience and technology deliver, the economics of demand, and a sustainable agriculture. SCI’s BioResources Technical Group is organising a one-day conference focusing on wheat as a feedstock for biorefineries to produce transport fuel, energy, and high value molecules and materials from grain and straw. Industry will be represented with speakers from Syngenta and Ensus, who will discuss enzyme technology and bioethanol manufacturing, respectively. Dr Angela Karp (Rothamsted) and Prof Jim Dunwell (University of Reading) will explore factors in bioenergy and biopharma, and Dr Fabien Deswarte (University of York) will look at opportunities for other high-value products from straw. Prof Peter Shewry (Rothamsted) and Dr John Foulkes (University of Nottingham) will review advances in understanding the basis of high yields of grain and straw, while Prof Andy Greenland (NIAB) will cover progress in genomics and breeding technology. Finally, John Williams and Adrian Higson (National Non-Food Crops Centre) will focus on progress in developing supply chains and Dr Alf Game (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) will look at the national research strategy for biofuels.

This event will provide an invaluable source of current knowledge and a networking opportunity for all those concerned with developing wheat as a resource for non-food products, especially scientists, technical managers and business development managers working throughout the supply chain.

SCI Bio Resources Technical Group