5th State of the World's report, lays out the current condition of the world's plants and fungi globally. Based on the work of 200 international researchers and covering the content of more than 25 cutting-edge scientific papers in its 11…
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Maize plants form special compounds derived from indole, the so-called benzoxazinoids. They are considered ecologically important because they act against a wide range of herbivores and reduce their feeding. Benzoxazinoids also exhibit antimicrobial properties and are thought to be involved…
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Grasses transfer genes from their neighbours in the same way genetically modified crops are made, a new study has revealed.
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As climate change progresses, the chance of southern plant species spreading to northern regions increases. In Europe and America, many of the alien plant species come from their own continent. They usually originate in warmer regions closer to the equator—a…
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Scientists have revealed new plant cell walls can have significantly different mechanical properties compared to surrounding parental cell walls, enabling cells to change their local shape and influence the growth of plant organs.
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Plants that rely on animal pollinators, such as insects or birds, have evolved distinctive suites of flower characteristics—known as "pollination syndromes"—that are tailored to the pollinator. Large differences in flower characteristics between wildflowers with different pollinators are achieved by a…
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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…
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Lurking inside the crops of banana-producing-areas in east and central Africa is a disease called Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW)—and new modeling has shown that if left uncontrolled, this bacterial disease could cause a 55% reduction in banana production in newly…
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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…
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Imagine if humans could ‘talk’ to plants and warn them of approaching pest attacks or extreme weather. A team of plant scientists would like to turn this science fiction into reality using light-based messaging to ‘talk’ to plants
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