Our internationally acclaimed plant and crop science research is focussed on crop plants of global importance such as wheat, rice, barley, potato and tomato, and underutilised crops such as bambara.We have a large multi-national team of plant and crop scientists covering a wide range of research areas, from investigating molecular mechanisms in plant cells and tissues that control important developmental processes, through to investigating performance of crop plants in the field.We study the interactions between plants, their environment and other organisms including pathogens and beneficial microbes. Our goal is to harness this knowledge to improve crop quality and agronomic performance.We undertake extensive fundamental research on mechanisms controlling plant growth and development using model plants, including Arabidopsis.Research using model plants provides insights into gene networks that govern important agronomic traits such as seed germination, plant growth and morphology, plant response to environmental stresses, seed filling and fruit ripening. We aim to apply this fundamental knowledge to a diverse range of crop plants of significance to the UK and worldwide.