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.
A new study provides updated guidelines for accurately estimating plant genome size using flow cytometry. Researchers identified sources of error—such as tissue type, buffer choice, and fluorochrome variations—that can affect accuracy by ±29% or more. Revised reference standards and best practices aim to improve reliability in genome sizing.
Plants use pigments called phytochromes to sense light and temperature, adjusting growth and metabolism accordingly. Rising temperatures, however, disrupt these processes. Researchers found that under red light, phytochrome responses vary with temperature and light intensity, potentially allowing precise control of plant gene activation for biotechnology.
Researchers have uncovered how plants prevent viruses from being passed to their offspring through seeds. They identified an immune pathway, involving RNA interference, that blocks viral transmission. This discovery could improve crop health and may have broader applications, potentially reducing mother-to-child virus transmission in humans.
Flowers like hibiscus use a hidden, early-stage “paint by numbers” system to form petal bullseyes, which attract pollinators like bees. Research reveals bees favor larger bullseyes, boosting pollination efficiency by 25%. Understanding these patterns’ development aids in exploring plant evolution and biodiversity creation mechanisms.
New research highlights how a balanced microbiome within plants is crucial for their immune systems. Disruptions to this balance can trigger autoimmune-like responses, where plants mistakenly attack their own tissues. This discovery could lead to innovations in crop protection by leveraging beneficial microbes to support plant health and combat pathogens.
Researchers uncovered new insights into epigenetic regulation in flowering plants. They found that the protein SDG7 competes with PRC2, a known gene silencer, by marking DNA with H3K36 methylation, which activates genes. This discovery helps explain how plants can dynamically switch gene expression on or off, impacting plant development.
