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Plant Varieties, Breeding & Licensing
Sector: Crop Science, Food & Drink
The James Hutton Institute has a proud history of collaboration with government and commercial organisations, working in partnership to meet the needs of evolving industries and changing consumer tastes.
James Hutton Limited manages several breeding consortia and programmes, building alliances to support the development of the next generation of soft fruit and vegetable varieties. With clearly established objectives, these partnerships are introducing new, industry ready varieties where they are needed most.
James Hutton Limited has an extensive portfolio of more than 40 plant varieties, many of which are protected by Plant Variety Rights and are available for licensing worldwide. Alongside breeding and plant varieties, James Hutton Limited can also offer a huge number of scientific services from the James Hutton Institute laboratories, to maximise existing plant varieties and assist with natural plant breeding. These include soil analysis, molecular diagnostics, crop trialling and pest management.
Blackberry germplasm has been hybridised, selected and developed at the Institute since the early 1960s and has produced highly successful varieties such as Loch Ness and Loch Tay.
Everyone knows the fruit drink Ribena, but few people realise that the blackcurrant varieties used to produce this ever-popular brand were bred at the James Hutton Institute.
James Hutton Limited manages a blueberry breeding programme which in time will deliver new and improved blueberry varieties, suited to European growing conditions and carrying traits desirable to growers, retailers and consumers.
A number of very popular brassica varieties have been bred at the James Hutton Institute and commercialised via James Hutton Limited including swede, turnip, kale and forage rape.
Through our own experienced team of breeders, James Hutton Limited can offer commercial potato breeding programmes for both the fresh and processing sectors for customers in the UK or overseas.
James Hutton Limited has a long tradition of breeding raspberries in the fertile soils of the Carse of Gowrie, just south of the city of Dundee, Scotland.
James Hutton Limited’s only licensed strawberry, Symphony, is a late mid-season cultivar producing high quality fruit for fresh consumption.
Some of our heritage varieties developed through our breeding programmes. These have helped pave the way for our current varieties.
Case Studies
Other Services
Our team has over 30 years’ experience working in industry, Government bodies and research institutions, carrying out microbiological analysis on a range of materials using culturing and Most Probable Number (MPN) techniques.
Providing credible, reliable and independent verification of environmental technologies which have an impact or added value for the environment.
James Hutton Limited offers a world-class crop trial service, complete with a dedicated crop trial manager to oversee your project.
Our expertise in all aspects of crop science – including breeding, diagnostics, soils, pathogens, genetics and phytochemistry, lends itself to the burgeoning European cannabis and hemp agricultural sector.
GIS is the backbone of 21st century environmental planning and decision making; knowing where to make changes, what to expect, how to measure impacts and interventions, all rely on good GIS.
James Hutton Limited is one of ten European partners of the Water Test Network; an ERDF funded project which supports SMEs in North-West Europe (NWE) to test, demonstrate and develop new products for the water sector.
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that involves the development and application of computational methods for the analysis of large-scale biological data ranging.
James Hutton Limited can help support work such as harbour construction or enlargement, flood defence systems, construction of new buildings, which will require an MS-LOT licence.
The multi-disciplinary scientific expertise available at the James Hutton Institute is ideally suited to address issues facing the developing renewable energy sector in the UK and internationally.
A leading forensic research and analysis service with unparalleled experience in analysis of soils, waters and other ecological/environmental materials.
The James Hutton Institute, and its predecessor organisations, is synonymous with soils with over 90 years experience of working with soils and farmers, as well as being responsible for the National Soils Database for Scotland.
Innovations and resources from the James Hutton Institute, available for your own laboratory or research.
FTIR Spectroscopy is an extremely versatile analytical technique which can provide a chemical fingerprint for a diverse range of both organic and inorganic samples.
Electron Microscopy is an extremely versatile tool which allows the study of both morphology and material composition from virtually all areas of science and technology.
James Hutton Limited is home to Mylnefield Lipid Analysis, a specialist lipid laboratory established at the James Hutton Institute in 1995 by Bill Christie and Frank Gunstone, renowned lipid analysis experts.
The analysis of a wide range of stable isotopes, bulk and compound specific analysis of light isotopes including, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen, and heavy isotopes, including Strontium, Neodymium, Samarium and Lead.
Techniques providing quantitative and qualitative analysis of organic and inorganic contaminants / pollutants in a variety of matrices including, but not limited to waters, chemicals and soils.
X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) can be used to identify crystalline substances, such as most minerals. The James Hutton Institute XRPD team are global specialists in the analysis of clay minerals by this technique.
Molecular Diagnostic tests can detect specific sequences in plant DNA or RNA that may be associated with disease resistance, quality/agronomic traits and varietal issues.
James Hutton Limited manages a number of collaborative projects with industry partners who seek to benefit from scientific research and innovations.