Rothamsted gene-edited barley crop becomes first to receive a UK Precision Bred Organism marketing notice 🎉 By increasing lipid content in plant tissues, the barley provides a high-energy forage crop for ruminant livestock, improving feed efficiency👇 www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/rothams...

UKCEH and @rothamsted.bsky.social modelling shows how climate change could reshape GB’s rivers/farms by 2050. Findings: river nutrients ↑20–30%, ↑ west coast fluxes (3–10%), ↓ east (3–13%), 5-20% drop in most arable yields, 20% boost in maize yields Read more: agzeroplus.org.uk/news-and-med... 🧪

A pleasure to host the Agri Food Charities Partnership today - a network of organisations helping to train the next generation of agri scientists. Thank you to all the speakers!

Scientists have discovered that chemicals produced by beetle larvae can directly stimulate harmful bacteria that damage oak trees, revealing a previously unknown mechanism driving tree disease. Full story 👇 https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/beetle-larvae-turn-tree-bacteria-oak-killing-pathogens

Delighted to announce 5 fully funded #EngineeringBiology #PhD studentship opportunities "Training the next generation of Engineering Biologists for the delivery of green bio-based production (EngBio4GBP)" with Royal Holloway, Reading and @rothamsted.bsky.social To apply, visit: bit.ly/4lrSxrH

It was a huge pleasure to attend the UK-ASEAN Symposium on #PrecisionBreeding in Hanoi this week, to represent @rothamsted.bsky.social latest work on gene edited crops. Great to meet lots of new people and hear about their research- looking forward to some fruitful new interactions.

It was a pleasure to attend #BritishScienceWeek in Parliament where Ondrej, Grace, and Apple spoke to MPs about our research tackling hidden hunger and malnutrition - alongside many other British research institutions.

Join us at The Royal Society where we will cover all aspects of meiosis studies over 2 days! Featuring our plenary speaker Dr Valérie Borde, CNRS. Register before 31st March: https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/event/xvi-british-meiosis-meeting #dna #conference #genetics

NEW! 4 years UKRI and Industry funded PhD studentship in @devotolab.bsky.social, @Syngenta, @rothamsted.bsky.social for a UK home student. To apply www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-her... Project info www.findaphd.com/phds/project... Enquiries: [email protected], www.Devotolab.org

A new cycle begins as calves arrive at the North Wyke Farm Platform 🐮Our scientists will be monitoring their impact on soil health, water quality and greenhouse gas emissions, comparing arable cropping to livestock systems. Data available at: https://nw-farmplatform.rothamsted.ac.uk/

In case you missed it - Rothamsted's Steve McGrath on #BBCCountryfile last night showing off our historic sludge samples to Tom Heap Starts 27:41 👀👇 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002shxq/countryfile-sugar-beet-harvest

Don't miss Rothamsted on BBC Countryfile tonight at 6pm! https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b006t0bv/countryfile #BBCCountryfile

Happy International Women's Day! Today we celebrate all the women at Rothamsted who drive innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Their work continues to inspire and shape the future #IWD2026 #WomenInSTEM

Not long now until the next WGIN meeting! Good news - there are 4 CPD #BASIS Points allocated for this meeting. Register now: www.rothamsted.ac.uk/event/23rd-w...

Leaders of UK institutions pioneering research into nutrition urge the Government to sustain investment in their work.   Malnutrition drives instability, migration, & conflict.   Solutions to it deliver benefits here & abroad.   #BritishScienceWeek @theguardian.com  https://bit.ly/4rgLKCO

Congrats to Vasthi who received a Pioneering UK-US Breakthroughs Award👏 New device enables faster, cheaper detection of early-stage crop viral infections in cassava, allowing diseases to be identified and contained before they spread Full story👇 www.ukri.org/news/from-fa...

We are looking forward to participating in #BritishScienceWeek in Parliament next week - a showcase of British science expertise on nutrition and food security. ANH Academy Science-Policy Platform United Against Malnutrition & Hunger John Innes Centre University of Reading University of Exeter

1 week to go until the annual Wheat Genetic Improvement Network (WGIN) meeting on March 11th, open to anyone working with wheat- join us at John Innes Centre or online👇 https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/event/23rd-wheat-genetic-improvement-network-wgin-stakeholders-meeting #wheat #farming #agriculture

New modelling shows land-managers key to slow spread of the emerald ash borer if it reaches Britain https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/new-modelling-shows-land-manager-actions-could-slow-spread-emerald-ash-borer-if-it-reaches Forest Research University of Warwick Stockholm Environment Institute

Farmers and agronomists - discover the power of beetles on your farm with our scientists! On this free one day course (11th March) you'll learn how to monitor and ID carabid beetles, and enjoy tours of our research farm! Register now 👇 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/rothamstedresearch2/2065335

A big thank you to everyone who helped deliver the Rothamsted PhD Student Symposium 2026 this week 🎓 Students showcased their work, ideas, and the research questions they’re tackling across the institute through talks, poster sessions, and panel discussions. See you next year!👋

🌳Hayfever on the way! Great to see comments from Prof. Jon West in the Telegraph about tree pollen levels: uk.news.yahoo.com/hay-fever-hi...

Up next: invited speaker Prof. Johnathan Napier Trials and tribulations - Lessons learnt from running GM field trials at Rothamsted His Camelina Omega-3 Fish Oils project is highlighted as a globally recognised example of what plant biotechnology can achieve!

Up next: Tash Brock — can gene editing help improve the nutritional quality of wheat? 🌾 Using CRISPR/Cas9 to develop high-lysine wheat — with potential benefits for human nutrition and improved animal feed. South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP) University of Bristol

Up next: Mukilan Suresh bringing “bugs + bytes” together 🧠🪲 Using deep learning and eDNA/metabarcoding to improve insect ID from sticky traps — helping build tools and benchmark datasets for automated biomonitoring and stronger understanding of ecological networks. Newcastle University

While most plant genetics focuses on chromosomal DNA, a new review from Rothamsted and Clemson Uni highlights that eccDNA (small DNA circles that replicate independently in the nucleus) has a previously under‑appreciated layer of genome plasticity. www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/new-rev...

Up next: invited speaker Alex Dye 🎤 In today’s talk, he’ll reflect on his transition from Rothamsted Insect Survey to FarmED - and what it's like to support farming and research through public engagement and knowledge exchange.

Up next: Nathan Roberts 🎓 Can genetics help boost yield by increasing seed size and seed number in Brassicaceae crops? A Genetic Approach to Increasing Seed Size and Seed Number within the Brassicaceae The University of Bath South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP)

Kicking off day 2 of the PhD Symposium is Rosie Clear-Hill - sharing lessons from PhD fieldwork in Tanzania and what climate change could mean for tree reproduction 🌳 Bangor University University of Nottingham UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated at day 1 of the PhD Symposium! Roll on day 2…. #phd #agtech #Agriculture #agriscience

Now a “Things I Should Know” panel session organised by Dana Macgregor plantenv.bsky.social - a practical, honest conversation covering topics like imposter syndrome, resilience, communicating science, and skills for research careers in and beyond academia! #phd #researchculture

Up next at the PhD Symposium: Anusha Mohan-Kumar — can we use plant scents to outsmart a hidden pest below ground? 🪱 🎓 Semiochemical-Based Alternative Concepts for the Management of Wireworms University of Bristol UWE Bristol South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP)

Great talk from Fareed Bhatti at the PhD Symposium: Understanding True Eyespot Disease of Cereals. What can historic cereal archives reveal about eyespot—and emerging fungicide resistance? University of Nottingham

Open to anyone working with wheat, join us at the next Wheat Genetic Improvement Network (WGIN) meeting on March 11th at the John Innes Centre and online Register: https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/event/23rd-wheat-genetic-improvement-network-wgin-stakeholders-meeting #wheat #arable #farming #agriculture

Donna Fellowes has been organising our PhD Symposium for 15 (!) years - here's why 👇👂

Enjoying the Rothamsted PhD Symposium today - so many exciting posters and projects from single genes to tiny insects to wide agricultural landscapes @rothamsted.bsky.social #cropscience #phdlife

Up next in the final year PhD talks: Peggy Mcgroary 🎓 Herbicide-resistant weeds + new tools for gene function work in Lolium. Expanding Virus-Mediated Reverse Genetic Techniques to Lolium spp. Using BSMV Vectors @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social @plymuni.bsky.social

PhD Symposium up next: Rye Hickman 🎓@rye-hickman.bsky.social Rye’s research explores the social, economic and political barriers that can slow the shift towards less ecologically destructive agricultural systems, with a focus on sustainable food systems and agriculture. @nrinstitute.bsky.social

Rothamsted PhD Symposium is officially underway! 🎓 Across the next two days, we’ll be hearing from PhD students sharing their work, ideas, and the research questions they’re tackling across the institute. It’s a great chance to celebrate students, learn, collaborate 🥼

New research shows that by 2050 global yield losses linked to extreme heat at flowering could rise by about one-third. By 2090, those losses could increase by more than 75%. Full story👇 https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/extreme-heat-and-drought-flowering-could-put-future-wheat-harvests-risk

New research highlights camelina as a promising example of how plants can adapt to heat/drought stress in both controlled environments and farmers’ fields, despite lack of genetic diversity... 👇 https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/climate-ready-crops-what-camelina-can-teach-us-about-resilience

A pioneering initiative, supported by Rothamsted field trials, developing low-energy techniques to convert cultivated kelp into a liquid biostimulant and livestock feed supplement has outperformed early field-trial expectations. Find out more👇 youtube.com/watch?v=DmIF...

Farmers and agronomists - discover the power of beetles with our scientists in Harpenden. On this free course you'll learn how to monitor and ID carabid beetles, and enjoy tours of our research farm! Spaces limited, register now 👇 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/rothamstedresearch2/2065335

AI supports fighting crop pests. Ongoing research featured at BBC Farming Today www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... @samcook-ipm.bsky.social #AI #IPM #InsectSurvey

Day 2 at BASE-UK with Dr Stephan Haefele sharing a systems view of agriculture. A deep dive into soil health, plant nutrition and the science behind nutrient supply. How we manage soils & crops shapes yield, resilience, carbon outcomes and ultimately the nutritional quality of the food produced. 🌱

Congratulations to Katerina Velchova for successfully defending her PhD thesis today, with no corrections! 👏 Thank you to examiners Jim Harris (Cranfield Uni) and Ute Voß (University of Nottingham) for the great discussions.

This workshop brings together science, policy, and practice to explore how green #ammonia fertiliser can be adopted sustainably, effectively, and equitably in the UK. 📅23rd February 📍Reed Hall, EX4 4PD 👇 Register now tickettailor.com/events/rotha... #devon #agriculture #farming

A new strain of yellow rust has overcome the resistance gene Yr15 and more than half of the UK’s wheat is now potentially vulnerable. We're part of a national rapid response to protect it. https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/rapid-response-launched-tackle-new-yellow-rust-strains-threatening-uk-wheat

PRESS RELEASE - Rapid response launched to tackle new yellow rust strains threatening UK wheat Fifty percent of the UK’s wheat is under threat from a newly identified strain of the yellow rust pathogen, due to the breakdown of a key resistance gene, Yr15 www.jic.ac.uk/press-releas... 1/ 🧵 (cont)

📢New paper: Our collaborators at @rothamsted.bsky.social have identified transcription factors in wheat and barley that act downstream of the Green Revolution genes to regulate plant height. Read the full paper @pnas.org www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...