Eucalyptus, a pest-resistant evergreen valued for its hardy lumber and wellness-promoting oil, can be genetically modified not to reproduce sexually, a key step toward preventing the global tree plantation staple from invading native ecosystems.
Increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events influence crop yields and where crops can live. These events limit the number of crops humans can use.
Researchers have successfully sequenced the genome of previously extinct date palm varieties that lived more than 2,000 years ago. They did so using date palm seeds that were recovered from archaeological sites in the southern Levant region and radiocarbon-dated from the 4th century BCE to the 2nd century CE.
Tomatoes are an important and popular crop, but the tasty ketchup, salsa and pasta sauce they yield comes at a price: overuse of chemical fertilizers. Now, researchers report they have recruited a fungus to bolster fertilizer efficiency, meaning tastier tomatoes can be grown with less fertilizer.
Scientists investigating the genetics of chilli pepper species have discovered a whole host of new chilli hybrids that can be grown by crossing domesticated peppers with their wild cousins. This will allow plant breeders to create new varieties that have better disease resistance and could increase productivity.
Small to moderate amounts of caffeine can lift your moods and drop the stress levels. Caffeine (trimethylxanthine) is nothing, but a modified form of a related molecule called xanthine, which can also be converted into other smaller molecules that help the plants cope with stress. Of course, the kind of stress that the plants feel is different and more defined than that from human. For example, the most prominent stress in the plants is the lack of sufficient water. Hence, in a way, the content of xanthine in the plants can contribute to lifting the mood of the plants.
One of the world’s rarest tree species (Macadamia jansenii) has been transformed into a sophisticated model that researchers say is the future of plant research.
Over 400 people from around the world got online at the same time to listen to international experts discuss the status and challenges surrounding conserving, exchanging and using the diversity of fruits and vegetables in 2021, the International Year of Fruits of Vegetables (IYFV).
In an broad and elaborate study, biologists investigated the biodiversity of flowering fields planted as part of agri-environmental schemes.
Researchers have revealed the response mechanism of rhizosphere microorganisms of deep-rooted leguminous plant to water and nitrogen changes in desert ecosystem.
