Rothamsted Research

New paper: Sulfur's Long Game: 145 Years of Soil Sulfur Speciation in the World's Oldest Agricultural Experiments. This study led by The University of Queensland investigated long-term trends in soil S speciation after land use change and the application of different soil amendments using the world's longest-running agricultural experiments at Rothamsted. Soil samples spanning 145 years were obtained from the Broadbalk Wheat Experiment and two Wilderness sites and analysed using synchrotron-based x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy. It was found that changes in S speciation were linked to changes in soil organic carbon.  https://lnkd.in/eU-Dp__w

🌱 State-of-the-Art Glasshouses & Controlled Environments at Rothamsted At Rothamsted’s Glasshouses and Controlled Environment Services, we provide specialist plant growth facilities tailored to diverse research needs. Our expert team of 10 dedicated staff carefully tends to 500,000+ plants annually, supporting studies in nutrition, physiology, metabolic and genetic transformation, and even providing food for insect colonies. Why choose our facilities? ✅ Diverse environments – from tropical to desert to tundra ✅ Precision control – temperature, humidity, lighting spectrum and CO₂ levels ✅ Advanced pest and disease management – biological control and safe pesticide application ✅ Custom solutions – supporting universities, startups and industry projects From small-scale experiments to large-scale trials, our cutting-edge glasshouses and controlled environments can accommodate a wide range of research projects. Get in touch to discuss your project needs: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eTny37sD 💻 enquiries@rothamstedscientificservices.com ☎ 01582 938500 #PlantScience #Glasshouses #AgriTech #CropResearch #ControlledEnvironments #SustainableAgriculture #Innovation #ScientificServices Rothamsted Research BBSRC Claire Wolstencroft Frances Mitchell

New paper: Plants are able to modify their root hydraulics to maintain water status and strategically use soil water. When soils are drying, plants can decrease water use from topsoil whilst boosting uptake at greater depths.  Conversely, when topsoil is rewetted, the plants can instantly rearrange their water uptake to be more energy efficient by making maximum use of water near the surface and reducing uptake lower down.  Full story: https://lnkd.in/ern5_e-6 (Image: Shutterstock)

Was a great pleasure to welcome this delegation of leading Spanish research institutes, organisations and agri-tech innovators to campus last week, organised by UK Agri-Tech Centre https://lnkd.in/eSZ666Gu

🆕 High-quality annotated genomes are a vital resource for overcoming critical threats to #agriculture and #foodsecurity. Take-all, caused by the fungus Gaeumannomyces tritici, is a globally important wheat root disease, destroying up to a fifth of wheat yield annually in the UK. 📄 A new paper from scientists at the Earlham Institute and Rothamsted Research presents nine near-complete #genome assemblies of take-all and other closely related fungi, using PacBio #HiFi sequencing. The results present a significant improvement in resources to study agriculturally important #fungal pathogens. 💬 Lead author Dr Rowena Hill said: ‘This is the first time we have been able to explore the genome content and structure of this important group of fungi, allowing us to start to unpick why the take-all fungus causes disease, while another closely related species is harmless to wheat. These resources will also allow us to develop much-needed diagnostics and surveillance measures for take-all disease.’ 🌾 The study, published in BMC Genomics, forms part of the UK cross-institute programme #DeliveringSustainableWheat, which addresses critical challenges in wheat health, yield, and production. The sequencing and annotation was delivered by the BBSRC National Bioscience Research Infrastructure in Transformative Genomics at the Earlham Institute, through the Technical #Genomics and Core Bioinformatics Groups. The paper also includes contributions from A-Level student Ellie who was on placement at the Earlham Institute last summer as part of the Nuffield Foundation Summer Research programme. Ellie, who worked with Senior Bioinformatician Gillian Reynolds, PhD., discovered the absence of genes in the #pathogen that may impact how it interacts with #wheat. https://okt.to/R35AsU

📣STUDENTSHIP OPPORTUNITY funded by BRITISH SOCIETY FOR PLANT PATHOLOGY - This project will investigate the wheat pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis. We'll determine its historical presence (1843-present), current UK distribution (2022-2024), and fungicide sensitivity. The lab-based project, supervised by a PhD student, includes training in fungal culturing, DNA analysis, and qPCR, contributing to improved disease management and UK food security. Deadline to apply 14th April. More info: https://lnkd.in/eATyWNwQ #studentship #WorkExperience #STEM

Watch the latest #FrontiersForum Deep Dive video, featuring our own Malcolm Hawkesford, where an expert panel explore precision breeding strategies for optimizing stress tolerance in crops to combat falling yields due to the climate crisis. Watch ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ezVre-9D This event builds on an article published in Frontiers in Science, outlining two strategies: genetically altering high-yield plants to cope better with new conditions, or domesticating wild plants with higher stress tolerance to improve their yields.  

New policy brief with partners Pasture for Life: Research funding should prioritise scientists and livestock farmers working more closely together on co-designed, co-delivered farm-level research projects. The joint brief says that evaluation of what constitutes the best use of land for sustainable food production requires farm-level research based on the place-particular conditions prevalent in the UK. The brief offers a vision and practical measures that take forward place-based research. Full story: https://lnkd.in/eP9c8Y2j

Fantastic day at LEAF Innovation Centre, Rothamsted Research yesterday for the Farmers Weekly Transition farm walk! 🔬🌾👇   Rothamstead Research are leading the field in cutting-edge agricultural science and research, with an impressive 180 years of data collection! 'Feeding the world better' and 'Future proofed farming' is at the heart of all they do. We're proud to work closely with the researchers to drive forward the uptake of more integrated and sustainable farming practices.   'Precision breeding' was the key theme of the day, exploring the technology as a future game changer for growers and the environment- from boosting yields, lowering input costs, enhancing soil health to creating more climate resilient businesses.   Hugely promising to see farmers and scientists collaborating to trial these gene-edited crops at field scale, and if introduced in the right way and responsibly "genome editing can provide unprecedented opportunities"- Prof. Freddie Theodoulou.   That said, there are still challenges that remain including facilitating routes to market and shaping consumer perception. Events like this are so important to evolve the discussions and come up with the solutions required to drive change.   Big thank you to all the researchers for the fascinating tour and to the Farmers Weekly team for hosting another inspiring Transition event.   #BritishScienceWeek #FarmersWeeklyTransition #SustainableFarming #IntegratedSolutions #PrecisionBreeding #FutureFarming   Anna Eccleston, Johann Tasker, Chelsea Dale, Nigel G. Halford, Tom Allen-Stevens, Andrew Pitts

Today we celebrated #IWD2025 with impactful talks and discussions, it's clear we've made a lot of progress but still more work to be done to support #WomenInSTEM. Thank you to our speakers: Caty Batten - Co-founder of Intaconnected Frances Holmes - CEO of Speak Out Revolution Mary Quicke MBE & her daughter Jane Langdon-Davies - Managers of Quicke's Cheese Professor Lin Field CBE - Insect molecular biologist and Professor Emerita at Rothamsted