Agricultural Production Systems
Agricultural Production Systems
Our research
We are harnessing natural sciences, data analytics and socio-economic sciences for agriculture, food security and rural development.
Food security and sustainability concerns
There is increasing concern about food security and the sustainability of current agricultural production globally. The statistics make for alarming reading.
- To meet global food demands by 2050, agricultural production needs to increase by 60%.
- Feeding 9 billion people requires more food in the next 40 years than produced in the past 10,000 years.
- We are losing species at unprecedented rates. This reflects the pressures current farming practices place on the natural environment.
We desperately need a sustainable system of producing food. We have to address the food needs of the growing human population while:
- limiting pressure on resources (energy, minerals and water)
- minimising negative impacts on the environment
- not bringing more land under cultivation
Our group aims to find solutions to these challenges. We do this through strategic and translational research into sustainable agriculture and food systems linked to healthy rural communities.
Our facilities
We perform research at a range of scales from the molecule to the farm, accessing first-class facilities including:
- two commercial farms equipped to conduct cutting-edge science under real-world conditions in Northumberland
- world class facilities on the university campus, for:
- molecular biology
- diagnostics
- soil science
- proteomics
- analytical chemistry

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Diagnostics and Crop Health
During the past 20 years diagnostics have become faster, more reliable and significantly decreased in cost. This is primarily due to the adoption of molecular biology technologies. In the field, current technologies (e.g. LAMP amplification) enable us to perform rapid tests at the point of decision-making. This is with the same precision achieved in centralised testing laboratories. But it's at a fraction of the cost and in near to real time.
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Farm management
Farmers need to manage land to produce profitable arable and livestock crops. But they should also look to environmental benefits, such as biodiversity, clear water, carbon sinks and attractive landscapes. This has led to adjustments in farming systems, which have traded-off food production for enhanced environmental goods.
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Assessing the sustainability of low-input animal production
One aspect of sustainability often overlooked is impact of the farming system on quality of food we produce. This is especially true with respect to consumers’ health. We could ‘feed the world’ but this is not sustainable if it induces chronic health conditions among the population.
Our partnerships
The research challenges in this area are significant. To address them, we developed partnerships to widen our research capacity and better realise impacts from research we undertake.
Institute for Agri-Food Research Innovations (IAFRI)
The Institute for Agri-Food Research Innovations (IAFRI) is a partnership with Fera Science Limited.
Fera is a translational science company working in the agri-food space, itself part of a joint ownership with UK Defra.
This partnership provides an interface which allows Fera to access pure and strategic research undertaken within the University.
It gives the University access to translate innovations to front line uses, for commercial and government customers.
Agritech centres
We are a founding partner in two of the four UK agritech centres. They resulted from a £90m investment by the UK government to meet challenges of sustainable agriculture in the UK.
As a result, Newcastle University leads on the several capital assets owned by the Centre for Crop Health and Production (CHAP) and the Centre for Innovation in Livestock (CIEL).
Group Leader
Professor Neil Boonham
Chair of Applied Crop Science
Email: neil.boonham@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: 07780825544
Dr Andrew Beard
DELT and Lecturer in Animal Production Science
Email: andrew.beard@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 6923
Dr Ankush Prashar
Lecturer in Crop Science
Email: ankush.prashar@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0)191 208 5103
Gillian Butler
Senior Lecturer
Email: gillian.butler@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 166 183 0222 or (0)191 208 6656
Dr Jeremy Robert Franks
Senior Lecturer
Email: jeremy.franks@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 7428
Dr Paul Bilsborrow
Senior Lecturer
Email: paul.bilsborrow@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 6868
Professor Robert Edwards
Head of School - Institute Director, IAFRI
Email: robert.edwards@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: 0191 208 6869
Simon Parker
Lecturer
Email: simon.parker@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 191 2086928
Dr Alina Goldberg Cavalleri
Research Associate
Email: a.v.goldberg-cavalleri@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 3792
Dr Leo Rempelos
Researcher in Crop Science and Agronomy
Email: leonidas.rempelos@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 19120 86932
Dr Nawaporn Onkokesung
Research Associate
Email: nawaporn.onkokesung@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: 01912085391
Stewart Brown
Exploring how selective herbicides reach target sites
Email: s.f.brown2@ncl.ac.uk

Email: Hannah.Davis
Filipe de Jesus Colwell
Differences in potato varieties in various management practices

Email: f.colwell2@ncl.ac.uk
Caio Fernandes Zani
Soil quality response to agricultural land management practices

Email: c.fernandes-zani2@ncl.ac.uk
Yaiza Gutierrez Vazquez
Fungicide resistance in wheat crops
Gabriela Pingarron Cardenas
Safening and metabolic resistance in dicot crops and weeds
Jone Santín Azcona
Effect of cryptic viruses on abiotic stress in black-grass
Inés Vázquez-Iglesias
Rose viruses in the UK and rose cultivation