Miniscule plants growing on desert soils can help drylands retain water and reduce erosion, researchers have found. A global meta-analysis led by UNSW scientists shows tiny organisms that cover desert soils—so-called biocrusts—are critically important for supporting the world’s shrinking water supplies.
The oldest trees on Earth have stood for nearly five millennia, and researchers have long wondered to what extent these ancient organisms undergo senescence, physically deteriorating as they age. In a Forum recently published plant biologist argues that although signs of senescence in long-lived trees may be almost imperceptible to people, this does not mean that they’re immortal.
On the surface, the humble melon may just look like a tasty treat to most. But researchers have found that this fruit has hidden depths: retrotransposons (sometimes called “jumping sequences”) may change how genes are expressed.
Lichens may be the most easily overlooked life forms in nature. If you spend much time outside, you probably see some every day, although you might not know it – most people are likely to think they’re moss.
An international study has discovered a stem-cell promoting hormone in the liverwort Marchantia polymopha. Marchantia, a common liverwort, is a representative of an ancient lineage of plants. Their evolutionary history presents researchers with an excellent opportunity to explore the fundamental insights into how genes and hormones have evolved in plants.
A new study demonstrates how site-directed mutagenesis can be achieved in virtually any wheat germplasm of choice by intergeneric pollination of wheat with cas9/guide-RNA (gRNA)-transgenic maize.
A team of scientists has developed two strategies based on trans-acting small interfering RNAs (syn-tasiRNAs) to modulate the level of silencing induced by a plant’s genes.
Researchers have made a key advance in understanding how timing impacts the way microorganisms colonize plants, a step that could provide farmers an important tool to boost agricultural production.
First spotted in the United States in 2014, bacterial leaf streak of corn is an emerging disease of corn that has now spread to ten states, including the top three corn-producing states of Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Research could lead to major improvements in crop production. The new study shows a new way to help study and ramp up photosynthesis. The breakthrough is based on revisiting an original, billion-year-old strategy in plants. It looks specifically at rubisco activity – a crucial part of the process according to authors.
