Many landscapes in the tropics consist of a mosaic of different types of land use. How people make use of these different ecosystems, with their particular plant communities, was unclear until now. When considering biodiversity, forests often get the most attention. But this research shows that rural households use a wide range of plant species and services provided by many nearby ecosystem types.
Plant roots have their own thermometer to measure the temperature of the soil around them and they adjust their growth accordingly. Through extensive experiments, researchers were able to demonstrate that roots have their own temperature sensing and response system. In a new study theyalso provide a new explanation for how roots themselves detect and react to higher temperatures. The results could help develop new approaches for plant breeding.
New research looking at the evolution of terrestrial orchid species has found that global cooling of the climate appears to be the major driving factor in their diversity. The results help scientists understand the role of global climate on diversity of species, and how our current changing global climate might affect biodiversity in the future.
Scientists have develop healthier sorghum varieties containing significant concentrations of provitamin A carotenoids while also increasing mineral absorption to meet the nutritional needs of mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa.
Generating haploid plants for the purpose of obtaining pure double haploid lines is widely recognized as one of the most efficient breeding strategies in modern agriculture. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), an important fruit crop known for its nutritional value and flavor, has undergone long-term artificial selection resulting in genetic narrowing. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a haploid induction system to enhance traditional breeding methods and facilitate the development of valuable lines.
Using a newly available genome sequence of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) a research team has identified key biochemical steps that lead to the production of the neurotoxin β-L-ODAP (ODAP).
A team of scientists have conducted a new study which shows that three ways to fight the invasive Prosopis juliflora tree in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania all proved very effective in almost all cases.
Plants use photosynthesis to produce oxygen, nutrients and bioenergy. But this complex biochemical process is inefficient, with only a fraction of the sun’s energy actually being utilized in photosynthesis. Researchers want to change this in order to help increase the yield of cultivated crops. A research team has now discovered that the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts could play a key role in this process.
CONSTANS (CO), a well-known member of the B-box family, is the major component of the photoperiodically regulated flowering and circadian pathways in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). A new study showed that CONSTANS protein negatively modulated salinity tolerance in Arabidopsis by physically associating with and antagonizing the ABSCISIC ACID-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING FACTOR (ABF) transcription factors under long-day conditions.
Researchers have shown a new way to boost plant nutrient uptake and growth. This could reduce the need for fertilisers, an input to agriculture which can be harmful for the environment.
