Unravelling the algorithms of plant form

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Grasses exhibit a stunning diversity in their shape and form. How do these different forms arise? What genetics underlie the observed shapes? What can computer science and modelling reveal about potential mechanisms? Many important staple crops are grasses (eg wheat, maize, rice, barley) and their different forms have a direct impact on yield, making this fundamental study into plant form simultaneously an investigation into routes for enhancing grain production and food security. This project will work with expert computational modellers to unravel the structural diversity of wheat and other grasses, and alongside leading wheat geneticists to build and validate computational models of whear. The models will build on and extend existing frameworks that capture key geneticcomponents.