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Image: Aphelandra squarrosa 'Snowflake' (often called Zebra Plant) has exotic, emerald green leaves with dramatic white veins so striking, it is grown for its foliage. Credit: geoff mckay from Palmerston North, New Zealand / Wikimedia

News Plant Science

Nature is inventive – the same substance is produced differently by plants

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…

Isabel03/11/2023

Image: tomato plant. credit: 1195798 / Pixabay

Agriculture Fruits and Vegetables News

Examining the toxins in the common tomato

Regardless of how one says "tomato," they all contain tomatine, a toxin in the plant's green fruit, leaves, and roots. Tomatoes produce the bitter-tasting compound—a major plant-specialized metabolite secreted from the roots—to defend against pathogens and foragers.

Isabel02/11/2023

Image: grass field. Credit: Alexa / Pixabay

News Plant Science

Natural GM crops: grasses take evolutionary shortcut by borrowing genes from their neighbours

Grasses transfer genes from their neighbours in the same way genetically modified crops are made, a new study has revealed.

Isabel01/11/2023

Image: The orange hawkweed is native to the Alps of Austria, but grows wild from gardens in many parts of Europe. Credit: Franz Essl

Climate change News Plant Science

Non-native plants migrate north as climate change advances, study finds

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…

Isabel31/10/2023

Credit: Cron field. Credit: Svetlozar Hristov / Pixabay

Agriculture News

AI drones to help farmers optimize vegetable yields

For reasons of food security and economic incentive, farmers continuously seek to maximize their marketable crop yields. As plants grow inconsistently, at the time of harvesting, there will inevitably be variations in quality and size of individual crops. Finding the…

Isabel30/10/2023

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Nature is inventive – the same substance is produced differently by plants

Examining the toxins in the common tomato

Natural GM crops: grasses take evolutionary shortcut by borrowing genes from their neighbours

Non-native plants migrate north as climate change advances, study finds

AI drones to help farmers optimize vegetable yields

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