Research could allow agriculturists to optimize productivity and explore the viability of ‘virgin fruits’
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Like humans and animals, plants also have a microbiota. A research team studied whether the genetic variability within a plant species controls the composition of its leaf microbiota. The researchers planted more than 30,000 plants in experimental set-ups at four sites over two years to analyse variation in the leaf microbiota and reproductive success, estimated through seed production, of 200 genotypes of a model plant. Their results, show that genetic variation between plants has a particular impact on specific microorganisms, which in turn have a strong influence on the composition of microbial communities. This influence on microbial communities contributes to the reproductive success of different plant genotypes.
Land plants evolved 470 million years ago from algae and have since reshaped our world. Throughout their evolution, ferns have undergone a series of changes that have helped them survive on land. For the first time, researchers have characterized the genome arrangement of tree ferns, which sheds new insight into how ferns evolved.
Scientists have discovered how to potentially design root systems to grow deeper by altering their angle growth to be steeper and reach the nutrients they need to grow, a discovery that could also help develop new ways to capture carbon in soil.
Microbes growing on flowers have adverse effects on their yields. This is why plants are quick to shed their flowers, reveals a new study involving both field experiments and plant microbiome analysis.
Researchers have now provided the first structural basis of auxin transport by PIN proteins, and this has been combined with a comprehensive biochemical characterization.
Violets reproduce both sexually, through cross-pollination of the showy flowers we’re familiar with; and asexually, by self-seeding of less noticeable flowers that remain hidden near the base of the plant. This is called “mixed mating.” Although environmental factors drive how much a plant reproduces sexually or asexually, no study had previously looked at the impact of climate change on mixed mating.
In a new study researchers took a deeper look into how plants control the growth of the important cells that allow them to convert sunlight into chemical energy.
Protein sorting in the secretory pathway is essential for cellular compartmentalization and homeostasis in eukaryotic cells. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the biosynthetic and folding factory of secretory cargo proteins. The cargo transport from the ER to the Golgi is highly selective, but the molecular mechanism for the sorting specificity is unclear.
An international team of researchers conducting a long-term study has found that climate-friendly farming practices could lead to higher crop yields, reduced costs and improved local ecosystems. In their paper, the group describes 30 long-running farming experiments designed to improve farming practices in Europe and Africa.
