Original version

BBC World Service News Internet

Discovery

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

Discovery: Plant scientist Dale Sanders

Magazines & Reviews

Dale Sanders

18/01/2021 GMT

Plant scientist Dale Sanders

BBC World Service - Discovery, Plant scientist Dale SandersSearch BBC

Why the world needs more plant scientists. Prof Dale Sanders talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

How plant science can help to feed a growing global population, as the climate changes. Prof Dale Sanders talks to Jim Al-Khalili about his life and work.

Professor Dale Sanders has spent much of his life studying plants, seeking to understand why some thrive in a particular environment while others struggle. His ground breaking research on their molecular machinery showed how plants extract nutrients from the soil and store essential elements. Since plants can’t move, their survival depends on these responses. In 2020, after 27 years at the University of York, he became the Director of the John Innes Centre in Norwich, one of the premier plant research institutions in the world. Meeting the food needs of a growing global population as the climate changes is a major challenge. And, Dale says, it’s not only about maximising yields. We need crops that are more resilient and more nutritious. Drought resistant crop varieties, for example. And zinc-rich white rice. Dale talks to Jim about how plant science is helping to feed the world in a sustainable way and why plant scientists don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
Producer: Anna Buckley

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Discovery

Plant scientist Dale Sanders

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service News Internet

About BBC World Service