Selective Breeding and Genetic Engineering

This set of learning resources supports teaching about the ways in which plant genetics can be manipulated through selective breeding and genetic engineering to improve crop characteristics. A video on the work carried out by a plant genetic researcher provides career insights, whilst a vital current topic for debate is included in a scientific argumentation task to develop students’ ability to evaluate implications and make decisions about technological applications of science.

Plant health contexts

Plant health contexts

Making and using a straw potometer

This is a quick and easy way to demonstrate how to use a potometer to measure the rate of transpiration in a plant.

Distance learning resources

Here you will find a selection of resources that have been carefully selected with your students in mind. The resources contain a mixture of videos, animations, practicals and some which are intended for learning outside where possible. Grouped by the anticipated age of the students, we have tried to be mindful of availability of equipment in order to undertake these activities. Over the coming weeks we will be adding to this bank of resources so watch this space.

SAPS Online Plant Science Summer School 2020 - Resources

Here you will find a selection of resources that have been carefully selected with your students in mind. The resources contain a mixture of videos, animations, practicals and some which are intended for learning outside where possible. Grouped by the anticipated age of the students, we have tried to be mindful of availability of equipment in order to undertake these activities. Over the coming weeks we will be adding to this bank of resources so watch this space.

Improving Food Production with Agricultural Technology and Plant Biotechnology

This free online course, hosted on FutureLearn, is aimed at 16- to 19-year-old students considering studying science at university. Designed to extend beyond curricula, it takes students on a journey through the plant-based food production system, from growing to harvesting to food processing. Through video case studies, interviews with experts, discussion boards and an interactive game, students will discover how science and technology are innovating food production to solve some of the biggest challenges in global food security.

Observing stomata in Tradescantia zebrina

The green stomatal guard cells can be distinguished against the purple underside of the leaves of Tradescantia zebrina, making it much easier for them to be counted. This resource builds students' microscopy skills and encourages them to think about the functions of stomata.

A-Level Set Practicals - Osmosis in bell pepper pericarp tissue

This resource is designed to meet the specifications for the A-level practical endorsement in England (CPAC). It is a new version of the classic osmosis practical measuring the weight change of tissues in various osmotic solutions using pieces of bell pepper (Capsicum annum) instead of potato. This is a reliable way for students to plot and use calibration curves in order to eventually work out the osmotic potential of the pepper cells.

Interviews with scientists - Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids are vital for human health. But how can we source them sustainably? Professor Johnathan Napier of Rothamstead Research talks about the role that Omega-3 fatty acids play in our diets, how we currently source them from algae via fish, and how he hopes to use genetic engineering to breed plants that produce these molecules in their oils.

Interviews with scientists - the mystery of the evolution of stomata

In this 5 minute talk, Professor Alistair Hetherington of Bristol University discusses the mysterious evolution of stomata. The accompanying notes include a teachers' summary, plus student questions and answers.

Interviews with scientists - How big data is transforming biology

in this 6 minute video, Professor David Salt of the University of Aberdeen introduces the topic of ‘big data’ – huge data sets that are at the heart of much of today’s cutting edge biological research. He talks about what big data is, how researchers work with it to test their hypotheses, and what the potential implications may be for scientific research in the future.

Interviews with scientists - Photosynthesis to Feed the World?

In this 8 minute video, Professor Jane Langdale of the University of Oxford discusses her work leading a team of scientists seeking to increase food production through research into the fundamentals of photosynthesis.

Interviews with scientists - saving the world's forests

In this 5-minute video Dr Ed Mitchard, of the University of Edinburgh, introduces the use of new technologies in conservation, specifically the role of REDD+ in preventing deforestation across the world. The accompanying notes include a teachers' summary, plus student questions and answers.

Plant pathogens: ID (poster and presentation)

The poster ‘Plant Pathogens – Identification’ illustrates diagnostic tests that are commonly used to identify plant pathogens in the lab and in the field. The poster is accompanied by a presentation, which can be used as a step-by-step walkthrough of the ideas in the poster.

Plant pathogens: control (poster and presentation)

The poster ‘Plant Pathogens: Control’ illustrates the many ways that we control plant pathogens, from polyculture farming to controlling the import of plants. The poster is accompanied by a presentation, which can be used as a step-by-step walk-through of the ideas in the poster.

Interviews with scientists - feeding sub-Saharan Africa

This 5-minute video interview with Professor Giles Oldroyd offers a thought-provoking take on the topic of fertilisers and nitrogen fixation. In the west, we’ve spent 50 years relying on increasing food yields by adding nitrogen-based fertilisers to the soils. But it’s not an approach that seems to be working for the millions of smallholder farmers across western and central Africa.

Interviews with scientists - Plant-derived medicines to cure cancer

This 5-minute video interview with Professor Sarah O’Connor from the John Innes Centre, introduces her work to find new molecules that can successfully treat cancer. This is an interesting way to introduce students to biochemistry, and to encourage them to take a synoptic approach to their biology curriculum, by bringing together plant science and medicine.

Interviews with scientists - Plant survival strategies: hormones and responses

In this 5-minute video interview,Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Director of the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, discusses the different survival strategies of plants and animals. This video gets students to develop their understanding of the role of plant hormones in an intriguing context.

Interviews with scientists - Drew Purves on computer modelling, ecology and climate change

In this 5-minute video interview, ecologist and computer scientist Dr Drew Purves introduces computer modelling and its role in biology.

Interviews with scientists - coffee history and survival

This 5-minute video interview with Dr Charlie Clutterbuck of Manchester Metropolitan University introduces students to the history and economics of coffee and the impact of a plant pathogen on coffee production. The accompanying notes include a teachers' summary, plus student questions and answers.