Mr. CampbeH-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science at which Agricultural and Food Research Council research station work is being undertaken on barley varieties' resistance to barley yellow dwarf virus; and what proposals he has for the future of such research.
§ Mr. BrookeI understand from the Agricultural and Food Research Council that work on the breeding of spring and winter barley varieties resistant to barley yellow dwarf virus is currently being undertaken at the Plant Breeding Institute and the Scottish Crop Research Institute with an input from the Welsh Plant Breeding Station which identify sources of disease resistance. Continuation of this commissioned research will be determined in the light of advice from the Priorities Board on Research and Development in Agriculture and Food about the allocation of available resources.
Further work on the characterisation, epidemiology and control of cereal viruses, including barley yellow dwarf virus, is being carried out at the Long Aston research station and Rothamsted experimental station. Work on these programmes will be continued for the foreseeable future.