A network of farmers who carry out their own on-farm trials
SRW Project Progress
Project Overview & Results
Year 2: 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024
Over the last 2 years, we have been putting the Watkins 788 landrace variety to test through analysis by scientists at the John Innes Centre and Harper Adams University, through on-farm trials by our Slug Sleuths and from slugs sent in by our Slug Scouts. Watch this video to find out what the results were of this incredible project.
Although this project has now come to a close, we are underway with another slug-focused project; SLIMERS. Make sure to join the slug circle to keep receiving updates and join in our mission to tackle arable farmings biggest pest:
We are so pleased to welcome all of our new Slug Scout recruits! We have been busy preparing Slug Scout packs to send out. The John Innes Centre are looking forward to receiving all of your grey field slugs and putting them to good use. Make sure to share pictures of your scouting journey on The Slug Circle forum:
As our Slug Circle and Scouts prepare for a new year of exciting trials, BOFIN took a trip to visit Simon Griffiths at the John Innes Centre. Watch this video to learn more about initial feeding trials and more detail at how slugs graze.
As the new trials are being planned, it is important that you send your slugs in again! We must come together and ensure that the John Innes Centre receive enough slugs to give us another year of great results! Click the button below to get your Slug Scout pack today!
Watkins 788 is one of a collection of landrace wheats being screened for interesting traits by scientists working on the Defra-funded Wheat Genetic Improvement Network (WGIN) programme. 10 Slug Sleuths conducted trials for this project by following an in-field trial protocol drawn up by slug behaviour expert Professor Keith Walters of Harper Adams University. Watch the results from Year 1 here >
Click the button below to read about Year 1 in more detail:
This is a project to explore the properties of Watkins 788, a landrace wheat believed to be resistant to slugs, never before been grown in the UK. The project aims to test in field to confirm properties indicated in lab-based feeding trials.
The project includes feeding trials at JIC exploring further the properties of the Watkins + farm-standard lines + c80 Watkins + Paragon recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed by Designing Future Wheat team, led by Dr Simon Griffiths (JIC).
The project aims to test in field to confirm properties indicated in lab-based feeding trials. The hope is that there will be 10 Slug Sleuths – farmer members of BOFIN – who will establish trial plots of Watkins 788 alongside their farm standard variety and monitor slug activity following a protocol drawn up by prof Keith Walters (HAU). Four of the farmers will also test an unnamed KWS Santiago x Graham line bred by John Blackman.
The project will also include feeding trials at John Innes Centre exploring further the properties of the Watkins + farm-standard lines + c80 Watkins + Paragon Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) developed by Designing Future Wheat team, led by Dr Simon Griffiths (JIC).
