Synopsis

Dr. Pete Iannetta, agroecologist with the James Hutton Institute in Scotland, has taken a non-traditional path to plant science. Fishing, aquaculture, teaching and social care were all part of his route to plant biology and ecology. Today, his work at the James Hutton Institute focuses on the utility of legumes in production and semi-natural systems to improve agricultural sustainability.

In this episode of Plant Breeding Stories, Iannetta shares how his research on legume production and processing led to working on producing a carbon-neutral Scottish gin, Nadar.  He also discusses his quest to breed out nitrogen fixation in legume crops and talks about how his broad life experiences and background in ecology gives him a systems perspective on the the connections between social sciences, economics and agriculture.