skip to content

Plants @ Cambridge

 
Read more at: New expanded version of Biomaker handbook now available
biomaker logo screengrab

New expanded version of Biomaker handbook now available

20 June 2023

A new and expanded version of the Biomaker handbook is now available Jim Haseloff and colleagues Matt Wayland and Stephanie Norwood have just released a new handbook on no-code programming for biologists who are keen to grow their skills in electronic controllers, advanced sensors and wireless communications. The new...


Read more at: New initiatives boost access to the University Herbarium collection
Type specimens in the University Herbarium

New initiatives boost access to the University Herbarium collection

9 June 2023

New initiatives boost access to the University Herbarium collection The University Herbarium has taken a major step towards making more of its collections available to the world’s research community with the appointment of Dr Anne Dubéarnès as its first Special Collections Researcher. Dr Dubéarnès will focus on identifying...


Read more at: Visualising long-range atmospheric transport of crop pests and diseases
Three dimensional dynamics of long-range atmospheric transport of fungal pathogens transmitting wheat rust

Visualising long-range atmospheric transport of crop pests and diseases

2 June 2023

Visualising long-range atmospheric transport of crop pests and diseases Some of the greatest challenges to food production in low- and middle-income countries arise when crops are devastated by the sudden outbreak of destructive migratory insects and diseases. Pests and pathogenic spores can be channelled by air streams...


Read more at: A break from the lawn: Can an iconic meadow seed wider change?
undergraduate students in the meadow

A break from the lawn: Can an iconic meadow seed wider change?

24 May 2023

A break from the lawn: Can an iconic meadow seed wider change By Jacqueline Garget It's No-Mow May - the month we’re encouraged to let lawns and verges grow, wildflowers bloom, and insects feed. Opinions are divided, and understandably so: letting lawns go wild breaks with a 300 year-old tradition. But the gardeners of an...


Read more at: Evolutionary cycles in the Arabidopsis pancentromere
centromere graphic

Evolutionary cycles in the Arabidopsis pancentromere

17 May 2023

Centromeres are chromosome regions that play the same vital role during cell division across the tree of life, yet display enormous interspecies diversity. An international team of researchers has discovered that variation in centromere DNA sequences can be strikingly large even within a single species. These findings, now...


Read more at: Detectree2 - a new way to delineate individual tree crowns in tropical forests
Graphic from the Detectree paper

Detectree2 - a new way to delineate individual tree crowns in tropical forests

13 May 2023

A new study by James Ball and colleagues in the Cambridge Conservation Research Institute has developed a computer vision method for delineating tree crowns in tropical forests from aerial RGB imagery, with the new approach available as an open-source Python package for broader uptake and further development. Monitoring...


Read more at: Event Report: What is the real cost of food?
Red apples in a basket

Event Report: What is the real cost of food?

12 May 2023

Event Report: What is the real cost of food? This Food4Thought on-line panel discussion on Monday 17 th April looked at the cost of food, not just in terms of the price the consumer pays, but the toll our current system takes on human health, the environment and the implications for future generations. Click here to view...


Read more at: Behind the scenes – how the stunning light show at CUBG during the Coronation Concert was created
coordinating the lightshow in the botanic garden

Behind the scenes – how the stunning light show at CUBG during the Coronation Concert was created

10 May 2023

Behind the scenes – how the stunning light show at CUBG during the Coronation Concert was created Take a peek into the the work that went on to bring you this beautiful display 09 May 2023 We hope that you enjoyed the show last Sunday night when our Black Pine ( Pinus nigra ) tree was lit up for the Coronation Concert by...


Read more at: Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
Pentatomid bug on a tree branch in a tropical forest

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

6 May 2023

A letter to Science , co-authored by 17 conservation and climate researchers, argues that carbon credits can be a valuable tool for climate change mitigation and forest conservation, but their success depends on improving their credibility. The co-authors are from the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Exeter, Bangor, São...


Read more at: New software to boost farmers ability to test for Avocado Sunblotch Viroid
Screenshot of the app screen that enables Avocado farmers to find the most efficient sampling method for their orchard

New software to boost farmers ability to test for Avocado Sunblotch Viroid

21 April 2023

Avocados ( Persea americana ) are not typically considered a food security crop, however, in rural regions in South America, avocados are an important part of the local diet and are grown by small-scale farmers, providing both a source of nutrients and income for local communities. A major obstacle preventing farmers...