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Department of Plant Sciences

 
Read more at: Gap year job opportunity: Temporary Technician Post

Gap year job opportunity: Temporary Technician Post

15 March 2024

Gap year job opportunity: Temporary Technician Post Purpose of the role: To assist with the preparation of Undergraduate practical classes in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. Key responsibilities: Assist with pre paration of laboratory consumables, dispensing solutions and setting up student...


Read more at: A “bright” new map of the bryophyte development
Confocal image of Marchantia meristem displaying multiple fluorescent reporters from the promoter collection

A “bright” new map of the bryophyte development

28 February 2024

A “bright” new map of the bryophyte development All plants on land undergo a unique reproductive cycle, alternating between generations. Unlike vascular plants, bryophytes—a group encompassing liverworts, mosses, and hornworts—feature a dominant haploid phase, with only one copy of each chromosome. This fundamental...


Read more at: Celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first Professor of Botany
Portraits of Bablington, Marshall Ward and current Professor of botany Ottloline Leyser

Celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first Professor of Botany

22 January 2024

Celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first Professor of Botany at Cambridge 2024 marks the three-hundredth anniversary of the appointment of the first Professor of Botany at Cambridge, and will be a year of celebration for the department. Three hundred years ago the study of botany, or plant sciences as it has since...


Read more at: New BBSRC grant will grow our understanding of petal diffraction gratings
ransversal section of a Hibiscus trionium petal (CryoSEM). The adaxial epidermis cells have ridges on their surface.

New BBSRC grant will grow our understanding of petal diffraction gratings

12 January 2024

New BBSRC grant to grow our understanding of petal diffraction gratings development A new grant from BBSRC will enable Professor Beverley Glover’s Evolution and Development group to deepen our understanding of the development of petal diffraction gratings and their role in attracting pollinators. Diffraction gratings are...


Read more at: CRISPR: The Cutting-Edge Solution to Tackle Parasitic Plant Threats
Plant cross section illustrative image

CRISPR: The Cutting-Edge Solution to Tackle Parasitic Plant Threats

13 December 2023

CRISPR: The Cutting-Edge Solution to Tackle Parasitic Plant Threats Scientists from the Crop Science Centre, Dr Min-Yao Jhu and Dr Evan Ellison, have released a research review article shedding light on the pivotal role of CRISPR gene-editing technology in combatting the destructive impact of parasitic plants on crops...


Read more at: Vitamin B12-containing algae boosts fertiliser digestate potential
Digestate process to produce vitamin B12

Vitamin B12-containing algae boosts fertiliser digestate potential

8 December 2023

Vitamin B 12 -containing algae boosts fertiliser digestate potential Anaerobic digestion is a process widely used to convert organic waste into biogas (methane), and is a key facilitator of the circular economy. After gas production, the residue that remains is full of nutrients including degraded organic substances, plus...


Read more at: Predicting hidden toxins in vital food supply chains
Maize in pans for sale at a market

Predicting hidden toxins in vital food supply chains

30 November 2023

Predicting hidden toxins in vital food supply chains The implications of aflatoxin, a highly toxic compound, entering food systems are far reaching for human and animal health. Produced by fungal species of the genus Aspergillus , aflatoxin contamination of staple crops such as maize is monitored and highly regulated...


Read more at: Fire consumes timber forests at unprecedented rate, threatens supply
Aerial view of a forest fire in Colorado, USA

Fire consumes timber forests at unprecedented rate, threatens supply

27 November 2023

Fire consumes timber forests at unprecedented rate, threatens supply New research by Chris Bousfield and David Edwards in the Department of Plant Sciences, with David Lindenmayer in the Fenner School of Enviornment and Society at Australian National University, quantifies for the first time the severe destruction that fire...


Read more at: New Cambridge-Africa Alborada grants will help boost pathogen responses in African nations
Sweet potato tuber infested with nematodes

New Cambridge-Africa Alborada grants will help boost pathogen responses in African nations

23 November 2023

New Cambridge-Africa Alborada grants to help boost pathogen responses in African nations The department is delighted by the award of two new grants that will enable our researchers to contribute to sustainable crop and food system development in East and West Africa. Funded by the Cambridge – Africa Alborada research fund...


Read more at: Butterflies, Bees and Broader Horizons
Happy Interns on the cambridge Zero and Centre for Landscape Regeneration summer scheme

Butterflies, Bees and Broader Horizons

20 November 2023

Cambridge Zero and the Centre for Landscape Regeneration (CLR) welcomed the next generation of climate leaders in summer 2023 to support projects across the University from agricultural research to education. Redirect