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The programme provides a unique opportunity for transformative and interdisciplinary food systems research, and there are two studentships now available with NIAB at East Malling.

These are species that have declined by 50% in the last 25 years and show no immediate signs of recovery (BTO, RSPB, JNCC 2015), making them birds of the highest conservation concern.

The headline this year was a pair of Corn Buntings. Known as ‘the fat bird of the barley’ in some circles, a male signing its distinctive jingle-jangle song was first observed at the end of May, and was later seen carrying food: a likely sign it was providing for chicks in a nest. Although seen in recent years, this is the first year of probable breeding.

Throughout the day, we shared images of staff at work from our HQ in Cambridge, East Malling in Kent and beyond to show you 24 hours of plant science into practice. Here are our best posts:

NIAB staff supporting #FARM24

NIAB has recently obtained a research grant to explore which soil properties affect apple canker severity in commercial apple orchards. The results could identify the optimum soil types which are less conducive to canker development and accelerate research on soil treatments to slow disease spread.

Mac was a quantitative geneticist of international standing, with a firm background in the plant breeding industry.

He joined NIAB in 2005 as part of our strategic bolstering of crop genetic research, working closely with Wayne Powell and Andy Greenland, and immediately made an impact. NIAB’s multi-parent ‘MAGIC’ populations  (a term he coined) were Mac’s brainchild, and he instigated, curated and taught NIAB’s highly-regarded Quantitative Methods in Plant Breeding two-week intensive course that influenced a generation of breeders.

Andy’s work at NIAB began in 2005, when incoming CEO Prof. Wayne Powell recruited Andy to oversee a new focus on genetic research that represented NIAB’s biggest strategic change since privatisation. Andy joined NIAB as a highly experienced, well-respected crop biotechnology lead, following many years working with Zeneca/Syngenta.

Tom works in NIAB's pathology department and his current research focuses on legumes and pulse crops.

In this short video, as part of NIAB's Meet the scientist series, he explains why he feels lucky to work on legumes, why freedom is best thing about working at NIAB and what the biggest challenges of his role are.

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Then we need you to take part in a project evaluating shedding patterns of weed seeds across the UK. We'll use samples sent to us to help inform the use of Harvest Weed Seed Control methods.

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For nearly two years, an industry consortium that has included the AICC and NIAB has worked together and with Defra to establish a viable alternative to the proposed ban on the sale of uninhibited urea fertilisers. Widely reported as Option 4, it involves an industry-led approach to promoting and encouraging best practice for substantially reducing ammonia emissions from agriculture by 2030, particularly from the use of urea and liquid UAN fertilisers.

Elizabeth, who is Head of Farming Systems and Agronomy Research at NIAB, was nominated for her role in establishing a major and important new strand to the support that NIAB can provide to farmers and landowners across the country, with the development and resilience of their farming businesses and systems. This is alongside the more conventional farming systems, soils and agronomy research and knowledge exchange that Elizabeth and her teams already deliver for growers across the arable, potato and forage crop sectors.