Intensive land use for agriculture in tropical regions, driven by international trade, has caused over 90% of biodiversity loss since 1995, far exceeding previous estimates of 20-30%. Research using satellite data highlights hotspots like Brazil, Indonesia, and Madagascar. Solutions include transparent supply chains, fair pricing, and promoting sustainable domestic agriculture.
Scientists have developed PlantRNA-FM, an AI model that deciphers the genetic “language” of plants, analyzing RNA sequences and structures. Trained on data from 1,124 species, it predicts RNA functions and structural patterns. This breakthrough aids crop improvement, stress resilience, and understanding of RNA’s role in nature, revolutionizing plant science and biotechnology.
Researchers studied how paper birch trees adapt to climate change by analyzing photorespiration, a critical metabolic process. They found that trees maintain excess enzyme capacity, providing a buffer to environmental shifts. This resilience offers hope for forests under changing climate scenarios.
An international team uncovered how carbon and nitrogen signals regulate flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana. The study reveals that these pathways converge on FLOWERING LOCUS C to fine-tune flowering time, offering insights to develop resilient, resource-efficient crops for sustainable agriculture.
The corpse flower’s rare, short-lived blooms emit a pungent scent to attract pollinators, fueled by heat from its spadix. Researchers uncovered genes driving heat and odor production, linking sulfur metabolism and amino acids like methionine and putrescine to its smell. This study advances understanding of thermogenesis and pollination in plants.
Scientists aim to engineer cereal crops like corn and rice to fix nitrogen directly from air, reducing fertilizer dependence. By identifying a minimal seven-gene pathway, they aim to embed nitrogen-fixing abilities into crops’ mitochondria and chloroplasts. This innovation could lower farming’s carbon footprint, combat hunger, and support space agriculture.
Researchers have streamlined methods to study chloroplast and mitochondrial impacts on photosynthesis, opening new pathways for enhancing energy efficiency in crops. Plants currently capture only ~1% of solar energy; optimized genetics could increase this sixfold. These advances promise sustainable, high-yield crops to address global food security amid climate challenges.
Nitrogen-fixing plants like clover and alder, crucial for enriching nutrient-poor soils, are declining in temperate forests due to human-driven nitrogen deposition, a new study shows. Using decades of data from Europe and the USA, researchers found this decline is independent of climate changes, highlighting the threat to ecosystem diversity and soil health.
Scientists have identified genes that enable plants to produce dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a molecule enhancing stress tolerance. High DMSP levels allow plants like Spartina grass to thrive in salty environments. This breakthrough could improve crop resilience to drought and salinity, advancing sustainable agriculture amid climate change challenges.
The Late Devonian Alasemenia fossil reveals the oldest known winged seeds, featuring three wings optimized for wind dispersal. Mathematical analysis showed that three-winged seeds spin more stably than seeds with one, two, or four wings, allowing farther dispersal. This suggests early wind dispersal strategies evolved in plants 360 million years ago.
