In new research, scientists used bioinformatics and deep sequencing to identify soil viruses and better understand their roles in the Earth. Most of these viruses infect bacteria, and are thus thought to play an important part in maintaining microbial populations.
Research team shows potential for sustainable land use in Madagascar the most important country for vanilla production – the fragrant ingredient that is a favourite flavour for ice cream, cakes and cookies.
Scientists observed that ergot, a common plant disease on rye, defended its host plant chemically against grass feeding insects. The ergot disease in grains spoils the yield and causes seed loss to the plant. Based on this, it is classified as harmful from the human perspective. A new study states that the ergot appears to be a beneficial protector for its host plant capable of even increasing plant fitness.
More extense use of existing genetically modified crops in Europe could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Weeds, the world’s most unwanted plants, might help trees make more fruit.
Researchers examine the formation of air channels in wetland plants, a protective trait that makes them resilient to environmental stresses.
Scientists are learning how to peer back through millennia of domestication to learn how a wild grassy plant known as teosinte developed into corn, the modern cash crop grown across the globe. The research allows scientists to compare genes in corn against its wild ancestor, which could help plant breeders identify advantageous traits that may have been bred out of teosinte over the centuries.
Five (5) high-yielding hybrid maize varieties developed by scientists have all been approved and recommended for release onto the market for cultivation and consumption by the National Varietal Release and Registration Committee (NVRRC) of Ghana.
First-of-its-kind analysis suggests declines in land suitability in most major producing countries. A new analysis predicts that, as climate change progresses, the most suitable regions for growing coffee arabica, cashews, and avocados will decline in some of the main countries that produce these crops.
Scientists have harnessed data analytics to look “under the hood” of the mechanisms that determine how genetics and changing environmental conditions interact during crucial developmental stages of plants.
