TWO top scientists have been appointed to head up flagship initiatives being carried out at The James Hutton Institute.

Professor Ian Toth has been appointed the first director of its ground-breaking National Potato Innovation Centre (NPIC), being planned to accelerate potato breeding and discovery, resilient production systems and innovative products and create high skilled jobs in new industries.

Dr. Tim George has been named deputy director of the International Barley Hub, which aims to bolster barley growing worldwide by researching new varieties and techniques to increase yield, resilience, and the climate-change credentials of Scotland’s biggest grain crop.

The appointments come just a week after Susan Davies, chief executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre since 2019 and a former director of conservation at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, took over the Chair at James Hutton.

A plant pathologist specialising in potato diseases, Professor Ian Toth said: “There is nothing humble about the potato – in fact, it’s the world’s third most important staple food crop and the single most important crop in terms of food produced per unit area. Hutton is already the custodian of the Commonwealth Potato Collection - a unique source of potato germplasm from wild relatives and land races.”

“However, yield gains in potatoes have failed to keep pace with those achieved in other crops, largely down to their complex genetics. We will be tackling what’s now an urgent need - to lead global research into this most-vital of crops, using both natural science and social science working together.”

Barley, meanwhile, is the UK's second largest crop, and is grown on about half of Scotland's arable land. It supports 40,000 jobs in Britain, largely down to its pivotal role as a food, feed and main ingredient in Scotch whisky and beer.

Dr. Tim George is a plant physiologist and soil scientist who has worked on the dynamics of nutrients in the rhizosphere – the zone of chemical, biological, and physical influence generated by root growth - for a quarter of a century.

He has an especially notable track record in leading teams of scientists in projects funded by the European Union and UK Research and Innovation and is a board member of the European Plant Sciences Organisation.

Dr. George said: “Barley is one of Scotland's most important crops and as a fundamental component of many key industries is pivotal to brewing and distilling; yet it remains largely under the radar in terms of the perception of its significance.

“Few people outside the farming industry appreciate barley's link to the economic well-being of this country, as well as its significance globally as a nutritious food crop

“We are already at the forefront of scientific progress where barley is concerned, but our new hub project has been developed in partnership with industry and other key sector stakeholders, to ensure Hutton’s barley activities are targeted where they are most needed and to deliver maximum economic and environmental impact.”