Using maths to feed the world

In the race to breed better crops to feed the increasing world population, scientists at The University of Nottingham are using maths to find out how a vital plant hormone affects growth. Gibberellin is a hormone which plays a key part in development throughout the plant, from the root to the flowers and leaves. The hormone works within a complex network of molecules inside the plant, translating signals from the environment into responses in the plant so it can adapt and survive. Many of the crop varieties developed during the global agricultural 'green revolution' of the 1960s were found to have genetic mutations in this important pathway. Now a team of scientists has applied mathematical approaches to understand how this 'green revolution' hormone works to control plant growth. They have then been able to show how these interactions result in changes in hormone levels that could be key to breeding improved crop varieties in the future. Increasing growth rates.