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Image: When sorghum begins producing grain-laden flowers (left) the plants stop growing. Brookhaven Lab and Oklahoma State University scientists discovered the genes that control flowering time and modified plants to delay flowering. Credit: Kevin Coughlin/Brookhaven National Laboratory

Agriculture News Plant Science

When Plants Flower: Scientists ID Genes, Mechanism in Sorghum

Scientists have identified key genes and the mechanism by which they control flowering in sorghum, an important bioenergy crop. The findings suggest strategies to delay sorghum flowering to maximize plant growth and the amount of biomass available for generating biofuels…

Isabel29/03/2024

Image: tomato plant. credit: 1195798 / Pixabay

Agriculture News

The scent of resistance

Tomato plants emit hexenyl butanoate (HB) to resist bacterial attacks independently of traditional hormones. HB protects against drought and diseases like Pseudomonas syringae in tomatoes and Phytophthora infestans in potatoes. This discovery offers sustainable solutions for crop protection and growth.

Isabel28/03/2024

Image: Keerti Rathore stands in his lab with ultra-low gossypol cotton plants that were created using RNA interference, a gene-silencing technique. Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Beth Luedeker

Agriculture News Plant Science

Natural tech for ‘dimming’ genes brings transformative potential to agriculture

Advancements in RNA interference (RNAi) technology are revolutionizing agriculture, offering precise gene-silencing capabilities akin to dimming a light switch rather than turning it off completely like CRISPR. RNAi, a natural defense mechanism in organisms, enables targeted gene modification, enhancing crop…

Isabel27/03/2024

Image: Apple tree orchard. Credit: NoName_13 / Pixabay

Agriculture News

Creepy crawlies protect apples when flowers planted on farms

Bugs like hoverflies and ladybirds safeguard Britain's apples. Planting wildflowers around orchards creates homes for these beneficial insects, curbing apple damage by pests. Research suggests adding flower margins could boost apple harvests by 6.9%, reducing reliance on pesticides and promoting…

Isabel26/03/2024

Image: Biologist Elizabeth Carlen, standing in the back of a truck bed, distributes supplies to members of her squirrel trapping team at Tyson Research Center, Washington University’s environmental field station. Carlen is studying how Eastern gray squirrels are adapting to the urban environment in St. Louis. Credit: Joe Angeles/Washington University

News Public Engagement Research

How bias shows up in maps made with citizen science data

Citizen science platforms like iNaturalist offer valuable insights into local biodiversity, but biases in data reporting can skew perceptions. Biologist's study reveals how social and ecological factors lead to these biases, influencing species distribution maps. Addressing these issues requires inclusive…

Isabel25/03/2024

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When Plants Flower: Scientists ID Genes, Mechanism in Sorghum

The scent of resistance

Natural tech for ‘dimming’ genes brings transformative potential to agriculture

Creepy crawlies protect apples when flowers planted on farms

How bias shows up in maps made with citizen science data

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