Why are different plants better suited to different environments? How will plants respond to climate change and how might they ward off its harmful effects?

A £6m Plant Growth Facility (PGF) in Cambridge will help to provide a deeper understanding of exactly how plants function and give Cambridge scientists unrivalled opportunities to analyse how the genetic make-up of plants affects their growth, development and resistance to diseases.

A ground breaking ceremony has been held on the site, which is in the grounds of the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden, to mark the start of the thirteen-month building programme.

The building provides the Department of Plant Sciences with the ability to grow plants under carefully controlled environment conditions, with opportunities to alter light, temperature and humidity levels. There is a series of rooms where differing day lengths and climatic conditions can be simulated, which is essential for modern plant science.

Professor Roger Leigh, University Professor of Botany and former Head of the Department of Plant Sciences, is behind the project:

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