News

One of the most serious threats to global wheat producers comes from the airborne spores of fungal pathogens known as wheat rusts (Puccinia spp.). Wheat rusts can devastate harvests across sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, threatening food security and livelihoods in regions under pressure from climate change. Early warning forecasting models a…

Climate change will move and reduce the land suitable for growing food and timber, putting the production of these two vital resources into direct competition, a new study has found.The sight of vineyards in Britain is becoming more common as hotter summers create increasingly suitable conditions for growing grapes. But behind this success story is…

Jen McGaley, from the Cereal Symbiosis Group at the Crop Science Centre, has been awarded the ‘Best Paper in Applied Agricultural Mycorrhizal Research’ at the International Conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM) 2024 . This recognition highlights Jen’s work in advancing our understanding of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, a vital interaction betwee…

Researchers from the Plant-Parasite Interactions group at the Crop Science Centre have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how plant-parasitic nematodes infect crops. These tiny parasitic worms pose a serious threat to global food security by secreting special proteins, called effectors, from their pharyngeal gland cells. These effecto…

A next generation biosensor has revealed gibberellin’s critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation – paving the way for more productive legume crops and self-fertilising cereals.Researchers at the University of Cambridge have demonstrated that the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is essential for the formation and maturation of nitrogen-fixing root nod…

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a new family of photosynthesis-controlling gene regulators which could impact crop development for sustainability and global food security.The study by Natasha Yelina and Eftychios Frangedakis was published in Cell on 23 July 2024. It was led by Professor Julian Hibberd, head of the Molec…

Our increasing demand for metals and minerals is putting over four thousand vertebrate species at risk, with the raw materials needed for clean energy infrastructure often located in global biodiversity hotspots, a study has found.New research has found that 4,642 species of vertebrate are threatened by mineral extraction around the world through m…

Researchers from the Cereal Symbiosis team within the Crop Science Centre have made significant strides in understanding one of the most crucial relationships in plant evolution: arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. This ancient partnership between fungi and plants is believed to be one of the key adaptations that enabled plants to colonise land …

New research from the University of Cambridge shows that bee-pollination reduces disease spread in plants and highlights the importance of environmental factors such as pollination in managing plant virus transmission.The study, published in Virology Journal on 28 June, looked at whether insect pollination could influence the transmission of viruse…

This year’s Plants @ Cambridge Botanicon took place at St John's College on Friday 28 June. It brought together colleagues from across the plant biology network at Cambridge to consider the future of plant biology research. The event was organised by a team of early-career researchers from Plants @ Cambridge members including the Department of Plan…

Studying Plant Sciences at Cambridge can open up a wealth of career opportunities. In this series, we hear from Plant Sciences alumni about their experiences of studying here, how it shaped their careers and what they are doing now. If you would like your alumni story featured, please email us at alumni@plantsci.cam.ac.uk.About JenDr Jen Bromley co…

Studying Plant Sciences at Cambridge can open up a wealth of career opportunities. In this series, we hear from Plant Sciences alumni about their experiences of studying here, how it shaped their careers and what they are doing now. If you would like your alumni story featured, please email us at alumni@plantsci.cam.ac.uk.About RobertDr Robert Brad…

A new legal requirement for developers to demonstrate a biodiversity boost in planning applications could make a more meaningful impact on nature recovery if improvements are made to the way nature’s value is calculated, say researchers at the University of Cambridge.The study led by Dr Cicely Marshall, a member of the Forest Ecology and Conservati…

This year the Department of Plant Sciences is celebrating 300 years since the appointment of the first Professor of Botany at Cambridge. As part of the celebrations, pioneering Cambridge botanist, Agnes Arber is being remembered with a blue plaque and a new PhD prize. Agnes Arber (1879 – 1960) was a plant morphologist and the first woman botanist t…

Assumptions that tropical forest canopies protect from the effects of climate change are unfounded, say researchersA new study, co-authored by Professor David Edwards, head of the Tropical Ecology and Conservation group, shows that crucial strongholds for biodiversity are under threat as temperatures are rising in tropical forests.The study, publis…