We often hear in the news about GM (Genetic Modification or Manipulation) but what does it actually involve? In this lecture Liam Dolan will explain how scientists go about manipulating the instruction manuals of plants with illustrations from

Achieving food security and sustainability for 9 billion

Jan 9th, 2012 1h 2m

To ensure food security for the increasing world population in a environmentally sustainable way, we must double productivity on the same area of land. as well as address the concerns of modern high input agriculture, declining water availabili

Plants in a chemical world

Jan 9th, 2012 48m 42s

Plants are able to metabolise a surprisingly diverse range of synthetic chemicals including pesticides and pollutants. These chemical reactions are important in global agriculture, as the ability of crops to metabolise herbicides rapidly is the

From hairy roots to new medicines

Jan 9th, 2012 35m 16s

Modern medicine uses many compounds which are isolated from plants. For example, vinblastine, which is used to treat many types of cancer, is isolated from the leaves of the Madagascar periwinkle. Sarah O'Connor will talk about her work in unde

The gene garden

Jan 9th, 2012 1h

The spectacular variety of colour and growth form seen in our gardens is the result of the action of thousands of genes operating in pathways and networks. However, the basic principles of genetics are very simple and this lecture will explain

Using Science to Enhance Root Function in Crops

Jan 19th, 2011 1h 6m

Part of the Future of Crops Lecture Series held at the Oxford Botanic Gardens. Enhancing root function offers great promise in the development of sustainable crops. This lecture will highlight the critical role played by roots in nutrient uptak

The OneOak Project:using science and art to revive Britain's wood culture

Jan 19th, 2011 39m 41s

Part of the Future of Crops lecture series delivered at the Oxford Botanic Gardens. Trees, woodlands and their product, wood, surround our lives. In Britain today, people that access or connect with woodlands do so through a society that cheris

Rice as a crop - a 100 year perspective from 1950 to 2050

Jan 19th, 2011 45m 14s

Part of the Future of Crops lecture series delivered at the Oxford Botanic Gardens. Many of the World's poorest people depend upon rice for almost their entire calorific intake. Increases in rice yields are trailing behind increases in populati

The Artemisinin Supply for Malaria Control

Dec 21st, 2010 1h

Part of the Healing Power of Plants lecture series given at the Botanic Gardens. Dianna Bowles OBE from the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products in York has led pioneering work on the development of new higher yielding varieties of Artemisia

A Spoonful of Sugar

Dec 21st, 2010 1h 4m

Part of the Healing Power of Plants lecture series held at the Botanic Gardens. The talk will describe how unusual nitrogen- containing sugar analogues produced by plants are being discovered by research undertaken in collaboration with Oxford

Streptomyces in Nature and Medicine: The Antibiotic Makers

Nov 17th, 2010 56m 37s

Although plants are a very important part of a garden, we must not forget about the important contribution that soil makes. Bacteria living in the soil also produce compounds important as modern antibiotics.

The Botanic Garden - Your Modern Medicine Cabinet

Nov 15th, 2010 1h 1m

The first talk in the series from the Oxford Botanic Garden. This talk will describe the development of this new area as well as explaining the involvement of some of the plants grown there in the discovery and development of modern drugs.

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