Category Archives: horticulture
State of the World’s Plants
31 May 2016 By Richard Deverell – Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew recently published the first annual report on the State of the World’s Plants, alongside an international science and policy symposium on the topic. … Continue reading
PlantSci2016 conference: Plants in a changing world, from molecular to ecosystem
19 April 2016 By Geraint Parry, GARNet Coordinator Five years after the inaugural meeting of the UK Plant Science Federation took place at the John Innes Centre (JIC) in 2011, the UK PlantSci 2016 conference returned to this worldwide centre … Continue reading
Actions for plant science in the UK – UKPSF Working Group reports
A personal overview – by Dr Sandy Knapp FRSB Plant science has a broad reach – from molecules to ecosystems, and from blue skies to near-market research and practical applications. The UKPSF was formed to bring the plant science sector … Continue reading
Saving the spud and engaging the public
“How do you breed potatoes to taste nice?” “Can we use microbes to fight potato pathogens?” ”How is late blight spread?” These were just some of the many questions sent in by the public to grill a panel of four … Continue reading
The Gatsby Plant Science Summer School – 10 years on
By Celia Knight FSB Ten years after the first Gatsby Plant Science Summer School, I’d like to introduce the first of a series of blogs to highlight some of the progress made in the science presented 10 years ago and … Continue reading
Highlights from UK PlantSci 2015
Over 135 plant scientists, policymakers and educators from across the UK and further afield came together for the fourth annual UK PlantSci conference, held at Harper Adams University on 14th and 15th April. The meeting hosted a diverse programme of … Continue reading
A preview of UK PlantSci 2015
Year after year, delegates at the UK PlantSci conference remark on the sheer breadth and diversity of topics covered. It looks as though 2015 will be no exception, with seven jam-packed sessions taking place over two days in April at Harper … Continue reading
UK set to celebrate Fascination of Plants Day 2015
Preparations are now well on their way for the third international Fascination of Plants Day. Fascination of Plants Day (FoPD) was launched under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) to encourage people around the world to celebrate … Continue reading
Can we afford to lose what Kew has to offer?
On Wednesday 17th December the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee held an evidence session addressing announcements made by The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew earlier this year about its £5m “budget gap”. Kew is currently going through a staff … Continue reading
Diseases to look out for on fruit trees in spring
By Josh Andrews Fruit trees are many gardeners’ best friends. We watch them grow from saplings into perfectly trained bearers of sweet plump produce, the reward for our patience and hard work. They need a lot of investment in time … Continue reading