This two-year, £2.7 million collaborative research project brings together multiple UK academic institutions to develop drought-resistant Sphagnum moss varieties, a critical step in protecting peatlands from worsening dry weather. The team will identify naturally drought-tolerant local moss populations across the UK and Ireland, sequence their genomes to pinpoint key adaptive traits, and establish the first controlled breeding methods for this species. These new resilient moss strains will help preserve peatlands’ vital functions of locking away carbon, supporting biodiversity, and retaining water as climate conditions become more extreme.
https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/media/2026-news/uhi-researchers-join-27-million-project-to-develop-drought-resistant-peatland-moss.html
https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/media/2026-news/uhi-researchers-join-27-million-project-to-develop-drought-resistant-peatland-moss.html
www.uhi.ac.uk
UHI researchers join £2.7 million project to develop drought-resistant peatland moss
Researchers from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) are taking part in a new £2.7 million project exploring how Sphagnum moss could be made more resilient to drought and changing weather patterns.
0 Replies
0 Reposts