Lancaster Environment Centre

Enabling growth and development of chemical using businesses

The Lancaster Environment Centre has plant research teams that can help you to research improvements in crop health, crop quality and water use efficiency. This innovative research is undertaken across the breadth of plant biology - from cell and molecular biology to eco-physiology. The overarching aim of our research is to understand the impact of environmental factors on plant growth, development and biochemistry, using multidisciplinary approaches that include molecular genetics, cell biology, quantitative genetics, chemical genetics and plant physiology.

Using our Research

Our research can be applied, for example, to helping you develop new safe plant protection agrochemicals, develop water saving irrigation technologies, improve yields and quality, stimulate biological control through biodiversity and improve nutrient use efficiency.

Areas of Expertise

• plant-insect interactions
• plant signalling mechanisms particularly in response to stress from pest, disease, flooding, drought, salinity and ground level ozone.
• root-shoot communication
• plant-nutrient interactions
• root development and plasticity
• development of safe pesticides
• development of novel plant and root growth regulators and stimulants
• rapid screening of plant growth regulators and stimulants

Facilities

Our extensive crop research facilities include:

• 15 glass houses
• 10 controlled environment rooms
• 6 close control chambers
• Confocal microscope
• GCMS and LCMS
• Infra red imaging
• 3 glasshouse containment modules
• 4 controlled environment containment modules.

We also work closely with other partners enabling us to undertake large scale field trials to ensure that our research work can translate into commercial environments.

We are increasingly deploying this expertise in research partnerships with companies operating in different stages of the food supply chain. Current research projects in partnership with industry include:

• a LINK project with fifteen horticultural growers aimed at reducing irrigation water demand by combining infra red imaging and root drying technology
• improving the quality of protected crops and extending the UK growing season for a large salad produce grower and marketer
• basic research into the mechanisms by which environmentally safe agrochemicals work with a rapidly growing AIM listed company
• a dedicated research and training centre with Waitrose supermarkets on sustainable food production.