Among the research on display will be:
• Work investigating disease in winter wheat to forecast potential yield losses
• Improving the efficiency of crops in absorbing phosphorous and nitrogen —essential for healthy growth — to reduce the use of fertilisers
• Producing biofuel in the form of bio-ethanol from straw
• Modelling greenhouse emissions associated with growing crops for bio-ethanol production
• Identifying genetic markers for increasing the number of grains in wheat plants
• Undergraduate research, addressing the interactions between agriculture and the environment
Staff on the stand will also be promoting new undergraduate degree courses in Agricultural and Environmental Science and Agricultural and Crop Science.
The work taking place within the School of Biosciences is at the heart of the University’s research priorities, particularly in the area of food security — identifying ways of making more effective use of scarce resources, finding out how we can increase crop yields and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by developing more sustainable alternatives.
Cereals 2011 is the UK’s leading exhibition for the country’s arable industry. Taking place over two days at Boothby Heath, Lincs, the event features more than 64 hectares of stands and live demonstrations and expects to welcome in the region of 23,500 visitors.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power. The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news