What does breakfast cereal, clean air, and life-saving medicines have in common? Plant science!
The field of plant science is more than gardening; it’s ecology, genetics, physiology, technology and so much more. It uses biology and our understanding of plants to solve global problems, from food to health to the environment. It’s not just the study of plants, though; it’s designing the next innovations in agriculture, sustainability, and biotechnology.
If you want to learn more about how plant science affects your daily life, then this article is here for you. We’ll break down the effects of plant science in our food, our health, and our environment.
Food & Agriculture
The biggest and most immediate effect of plant science is in the food we eat and how we grow it. Agriculture is not a new thing; as early as 9,000 years ago, humans domesticated and bred plants for food. The Egyptians used yeast for bread and the Assyrians and Babylonians hand pollinated date palms for food. They wouldn’t have a name for it until many years later, but they were using plant science to improve their food.
Today, plant science is far more advanced. Plant science helps plants:
- Increase yield
- Survive droughts
- Resist pests
- Endure disease
Health & Medicine
Plant science has a direct impact in medicine. Just like agriculture, medicine has depended on plants since the ancient world. In Egypt, China, India, and Greece, plants were essential for curing illnesses and treating pain. Thousands of years down the line, plant science is still improving extraction and production methods for medicine.
Today, we can count on plants for some of the drugs doctors prescribe, including:
- Vitamins: Essential for our nutrition
- Aspirin: Often used for headaches
- Morphine: A strong pain reliever
- Opium: A strong pain reliever
- Digitoxin: Supports heart strength
- Vincristine: Used to treat cancer
- Cyanogenic glycocides: Used to suppress coughs
When it comes to our health, plant science doesn’t stop at medicine. Scientists are studying what kind of fruits, vegetables, and grains have the highest nutrition density. That means you can eat the plants you love and get more out of it!
Environment & Climate
A large but sometimes invisible impact that plant science has on the everyday is its effect on the environment and climate change. Plants play a key role in maintaining the environments they’re in; they provide food for animals, fuel for cooking fires, turn carbon into oxygen, and prevent loose soil and landslides.
Because they’re such an important part of the planet, plant scientists are working on:
- Conserving threatened species
- Restoring damaged lands
- Protecting soil, water, and biodiversity
- Sustainable solutions to climate change
An example of plant science in action can be seen in carbon sequestering. Plants use carbon as part of their food source, so plant scientists are working on plants that can capture more carbon as a solution to rising greenhouse gases. This kind of innovation can reduce the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and protect future crops from global warming.
Plant Science: Rooted in Innovation
There's a lot more to plant science than gardening. It’s all about producing food for a large population, making life-saving medicine, and protecting the environment we depend on. Whether it’s on the farm or in the laboratory, the work of plant scientists reaches far beyond the field.
As a college student, plant science can offer you a chance to be part of rapid, and literal, growth. With roots in biology, environmental studies, medicine, and agriculture, you’ll be sure to find an area that you love.
Check out BYU-Idaho’s plant science and technology degree to get started on your future. [LINK TO DEGREE PAGE]
Citations
NC State University — History of Plant Breeding
AZoLifeSciences — What Is Plant Science?
U.S. Forest Service — Medicinal Botany
U.S. Forest Service — Active Ingredients in Medicinal Plants
University of Massachusetts Amherst — Growing Nutrient-Dense Vegetables
National Library of Medicine (PMC) — Plant Science Research Article