- Scientists have developed a fast-track method to breed disease-resistant ash trees, offering hope against the ash dieback epidemic.
- Ash dieback, a fungus first confirmed in Britain in 2012, threatens up to 80 per cent of the UK's ash population.
- Researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich created a rapid seed germination technique, reducing the process from years to approximately one week in the lab.
- The method involves carefully extracting the embryo from the seed and placing it on a nutrient jelly, bypassing natural dormancy cycles.
- This innovation has already produced over 2,000 seedlings for trials and could be adapted for use by landowners, conservationists, and gardeners to restore ash populations.
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