Lancaster University - Twice as good

A research project named the best of the year at the 2009 Times Higher Education Awards has picked up another accolade. Lancaster University has won a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of the research into water-saving agricultural techniques that could help farmers in the driest parts of the world. The team, led by Bill Davies, showed that chemical signals sent out by roots in drying soil help plants to cope more successfully with drought, producing a better yield.