Historical horticulture: a quest for future plant propagation solutions

Context Across history, plant propagation has been essential for both medicinal and food production practices. The UK boasts a rich tradition of plant cultivation dating back to medieval times, where gardens served as vital sources for medicinal herbs. However, much of the knowledge surrounding historical plant propagation techniques has been lost over time. As we face pressing challenges related to biodiversity loss, sustainability and the urgent need to meet net-zero carbon targets, uncovering and understanding these historical practices could provide innovative solutions for modern plant production demands. Challenge Addressed Despite significant advancements in plant propagation techniques, many species remain difficult or impossible to propagate. Simultaneously peat-free solutions for propagation are proving challenging. We address these challenges by studying historical documents which may have preserved alternative options to modern techniques. Many of these texts are not in digital form, requiring manual searches made harder by the evolving language, spelling and botanical terms. By adapting artificial intelligence (AI) tools in collaboration with computer scientists, English language experts, and plant scientists, our interdisciplinary project seeks to rediscover and apply hidden knowledge to improve propagation techniques. Aims and Objectives Our primary aim is to integrate forgotten knowledge of plant propagation from historical texts held at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and manuscript repositories into modern science to improve plant production techniques. Along with identification and validation of propagation techniques and peat-free alternatives and development of new AI search tools, we will observe changes in horticulture influenced by advancements in scientific understanding and look for points of resistance in cultural adoption. Potential applications and benefits: This research will have implications for both academic and practical fields. For example, it will provide new insights into historical plant propagation techniques and peat-free media, identifying new techniques to propagate rare or previously difficult to propagate species, supporting global biodiversity and conservation efforts, and helping meet net-zero carbon targets. Additionally, the AI tools and glossaries we develop will have broader applications in research areas, such as tracing plant species and disease movement over time. Finally we will inform strategies to overcome policy and practice implementation in modern society by studying how points of resistance were overcome in the past. Our project not only aims to advance the field of plant propagation but also to enrich our understanding of societal relationships with plants. The interdisciplinary nature of our work, combining modern science, historical research, and computer scientists ensures we approach this challenge from multiple perspectives and deliver meaningful outcomes for both science and society.