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News

Oct 23
4
Image: close up of thin crop roots. Credit: Brigitte Werner / Pixabay

Genetically engineering associations between plants and nitrogen-fixing microbes could lessen dependence on synthetic fertilizer

By | Agriculture, News, Plant Science

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth, but the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture is not sustainable. In a review article a team of bacteriologists and plant scientists discuss the possibility of using genetic engineering to facilitate mutualistic relationships between plants and nitrogen-fixing microbes called “diazotrophs.” These engineered associations would help crops acquire nitrogen from the air by mimicking the mutualisms between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

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Oct 19
0
Image: Caterpillar on an Arabidopsis plant. Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, 2006 University Relations - Michigan State University

How plants respond to environmental threats with proper defense

By | News, Plant Health, Plant Science

In plants, the jasmonate (JA) signaling pathway helps plants control their defense responses to environmental stresses. Like the human body, plants respond differently to individual threats. Just as people wouldn’t get a fever due to a sprained ankle, plants deal with harmful elements in particular ways. A study looks at how plants respond to environmental threats in the correct way.

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Oct 17
2
Image: soy plant in the field, with close-up of soybean pod. Credit: Julio César García / Pixabay

BONZAI Genes and Salinity Stress: A Path to Sustainable Agriculture

By | Blog, ECRi, News, Post

In the field of agricultural science, understanding the intricacies of soybean resilience holds profound significance. Soybeans (Glycine max) are a pivotal crop species, highly regarded for their versatility and their substantial contribution to global food and feed supplies, as well as biofuel production. New research aims to shed light on the intricate mechanisms that govern the BONZAI genes, illuminating their pivotal role and the complexities of their regulated expression within saline environments.

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Oct 16
0
farmer working in a rice field

The cloning of the first genic dominant male sterility gene in rice may revolutionize breeding processes

By | Agriculture, News, Plant Science

Male sterility in plants enhances breeding and hybrid crop production. The elusive Sanming Dominant Genic Male Sterile (SDGMS) Rice, discovered in 2001, offered stable male sterility. Scientists recently unraveled the SDGMS gene’s mechanism. They found that in sterile plants, a retrotransposon triggers SDGMS expression in tapetal cells, causing male sterility. This discovery highlights the importance of transposable elements in genome evolution and the utility of SDGMS rice for efficient breeding without manual emasculation.

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Oct 13
0
Image: Comparison of wild-type growing root hairs (left) and the BUZZ mutant with little root hair nubs, as seen through a scanning electron microscope. Credit: Karen Sanguinet, Washington State University

Gene required for root hair growth, nitrate foraging found in grasses

By | News, Plant Science

Scientists have found a plant gene that drives the growth of root hairs, the tiny structures that help plants find water and nutrients in the soil. The gene, dubbed “BUZZ,” causes faster-growing, denser webs of roots and may also determine how plants find and use nitrates, a prime source of nitrogen essential to plant growth. Nitrates are also used in fertilizers that can pollute the environment as runoff, and this genetic discovery could ultimately help plant scientists find ways to grow crops more sustainably.

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Oct 11
0
Image: mixture of clean peppers or various colours. Credit: Kai Pilger / Pixabay

Unlocking the Genetic Code of Peppers: New Study Reveals Insights into Domestication and Diversity

By | Agriculture, News

Peppers are a versatile, flavorful, and widely popular crop, used not only as a healthy food source but also for their medicinal properties. In a new study, an international team of researchers has sequenced the genomes of key cultivated and wild pepper species, offering unprecedented insights into pepper evolution, domestication, and genetic diversity. 

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Oct 10
0
Image: For a cacao plant to bear such rich fruit, it needs effective pollination. A research group, in which JMU was involved, has investigated how this can best be achieved. Credit: Justine Vansynghel / Uni Würzburg)

Optimizing cacao pollination for higher yields

By | Agriculture, News

The success of cacao cultivation depends to a large extent on functioning pollination. If there is a lack of pollinators, for example, this leads to lower yields – and thus to financial problems for farmers. A study has now investigated how the yield and quality of organic cacao can be increased – through a more efficient plantation design that’s taking ecological aspects into account. During research in Peru, the researchers identified pollination techniques that improved pollination success and produced higher quality fruit.

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