How Scotland’s New Climate Simulator Is Preparing Crops for a Changing Future

The James Hutton Institute is testing how crops could cope with the climate Scotland may experience in 75 years.

Climate modelling predicts that Scotland will have hotter, drier summers and milder, wetter winters by the end of this century. To help prepare for those changes, the institute has opened its new Advanced Plant Growth Center—a facility designed to simulate future climate conditions.

Testing crops under future climate conditions

The climate simulator controls the amount of light, water and nutrients available to plants. This allows researchers to test how crops respond to stress and identify species that may be better able to withstand the effects of climate change.

For the past three months, scientists have been experimenting with fava beans. The plants are photographed daily so researchers can monitor their progress and responses to changing conditions.

Developing resilient crops for Scottish agriculture

Dr Robert Hancock says agriculture needs to move beyond selectively bred crops designed for specific environments, such as hot or dry climates. Instead, researchers should focus on developing crops that are broadly resilient.

“We need to start breeding these crops now and start understanding what Scottish agriculture looks like,” he says.

“Farmers need time to plan and we need to get those crops to them and register them.

What ultimately matters is not what we do inside the climate simulator, but what they do in the field.”