Plant reproduction may solve food shortages

As the global population grows, so does the challenge of feeding so many people. Intensive agriculture can deplete soil nutrients, consume large amounts of precious fresh water and lead to long-term environmental damage. More intelligent approaches are needed. One solution is better plant science.

This weekend The University of Nottingham in partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University will run a one-day workshop at Shanghai World Expo, Sustainable Agriculture - the role of plant reproduction. This will bring together key academics, industry and government agencies from the UK and China to discuss advances in the area of plant reproduction and how these developments fit into a strategy for global sustainable agriculture.

Dr Zoe Wilson, Associate Professor and Reader in Developmental Plant Biology, will lead the University's final expert-led event at Shanghai World Expo 2010 this Sunday, 24 October alongside Professor Dabing Zhang from the School of Life Science and Biotechnology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Dr Wilson, speaking from the School of Biosciences, said: "Our event will examine how plant reproduction can promote sustainable agriculture and global food security. It will strike a balance between keynote talks from eminent plant reproduction scientists, discussion of how these ideas can be used for sustainable agriculture and talks from Chinese Ministries regarding potential funding opportunities."

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Rudd, who is leading The University of Nottingham's groundbreaking six-month presence at Shanghai Expo, said: "This University's perspectives are truly global, which is why our continuous presence at the World Expo has been so important. Our Sutton Bonington Campus has pioneered plant biotechnology for decades, and in Malaysia, our Crops for the Future project investigates alternative food crops.

"No university in the UK is better placed than Nottingham to carry out multidisciplinary food security research. During a period of global retrenchment in agricultural and food-related research, Nottingham invested in its facilities to encourage the development of research activities that underpin state-of-the-art agricultural practices, production and processing."

"We will need to find food to feed a 50 per cent population increase by 2050, according to latest international estimates," says Dr Wilson. "Sustainable, effective agricultural systems, with increased yield, but less environmental impact are vital if this is to be achieved.

"Plant reproduction is fundamental for the production of most of the food that we eat - either directly or via animal feed. Therefore understanding and providing the means to manipulate plant fertility for selective breeding, maximal fertilization and hybrid production are an essential basis for such strategies."

Source: University of Nottingham