Madam,

Regarding the advertising feature ‘This year sees the 100 Year anniversary of plant breeding in Aberystwyth’ (Cambrian News, 25 July), I would like to inform your readers that this was a very one-sided account of the work of the organisation during its 100 years’ existence.

Farmers and others involved within the agricultural industry will be well aware of the other work carried out. In particular, research into grassland agronomy topics such as the establishment, maintenance and management associated with all aspects of both the production and utilisation of grass and grass/clover swards. In addition, research into the technology of conserving the crop, both as clamp and baled silage, is of paramount significance in winter feeding of livestock. There is little or no point in breeding elite varieties if their subsequent utilisation does not employ such technologies to capitalise on their improved characteristics.

Since its establishment in 1919, the organisation was heavily involved with land improvement and management in the hills and uplands. In fact, of the 40,000 hectares of north Cardiganshire surveyed by Stapledon in 1914, which led to his vision and subsequent establishment of WPBS, two- thirds was hill grazings. To enable this research, the organisation ran the following centres: the Cahn Hill Improvement Scheme on 1,000 hectares of land near Cwmystwyth from 1933 until 1947, which subsequently formed part of the ministry’s Pwllpeiran EHF; the Pantydwr Hill Centre in Radnorshire from 1963 until 1984 and the Bronydd Mawr Research Station near Brecon from 1983 until 2009.

Staff members associated with the above mentioned research do not need to be named, for they are well known within the agricultural community and their individual achievements have been recognised with no fewer than eight being awarded Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Societies, of which four were also awarded the British Grassland Society Award for outstanding contribution to the understanding or application of grassland husbandry or technology and one was honoured with the Presidency of the Society.

It is also somewhat surprising that there was no mention of the work on seed certification and multiplication, particularly the pioneering work by Gwilym Evans. Again, there can be little point in breeding elite varieties if such seed cannot be made available to the industry.

Yours etc, D Arthur Davies, former employee (1 August 1965 - 31 October 2009), Cwmann, Lampeter.

Have your say on the local issues affecting you - email [email protected] or join in the conversation on our Facebook page