Britain's biotechnology research council the BBSRC will this week open a research centre to decode the DNA of plants and animals used in agriculture.

Among its aims is to help farmers boost food production.

Research will focus on economically and socially important plants such as wheat and ryegrass.

It's also hoped that the work will lead to breeding of livestock better able to resist emerging diseases, such as Bluetongue.

Scientists at The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) also hope to help develop crops with increased tolerance to drought and new antibiotics to fight 'superbugs'.

The exact projects that TGAC will initially work on will be decided by an independent advisory board but there's interest in creating sustainable biofuels and vegetables containing compounds that reduce the incidence of some cancers.