Over-fertilization of agricultural fields is a huge environmental problem. Researchers from Boyce Thompson Institute uncovered the function of two genes that could help farmers improve crop uptake of phosphate fertilizer, potentially reducing the environmental harm associated with fertilization.
Researchers from Stellenbosch University, South Africa found that tortoises, one of the main herbivores of the daisies
Plant genetic varieties in Central Europe could collapse due to temperature extremes and drought brought on by climate change.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $64 million in funding for 25 university-led genomics research projects on plants and microbes for bioenergy and bioproducts.
Temperate grasslands are the most endangered but least protected ecosystems on Earth. Grassland restorations are crucial for recovering this important but highly degraded ecosystem.
Sponsored by the university’s Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and Conservation, the free event’s theme this year is “Always Hanging Out! The Busy Social Lives of Bats,” focusing on bat social networks and behaviors.
A new species of gigantic tumbleweed once predicted to go extinct is not only here to stay -- it's likely to expand its territory.
In addition to their role in plant fertilization and reproduction, pollens and spores have another, hidden talent: With a simple treatment, these cheap, abundant and renewable grains can be converted into tiny sponge-like particles that can grab on to pollutants and remove them from water, scientists report.
Imagine getting an entire health workup just by having your picture taken—no invasive poking or prodding, not even a pinprick blood test. That’s a goal ecologists have for monitoring the health of plants. Their cameras would be high-resolution sensors mounted on drones or satellites, capable of capturing much more than what’s visible to the naked eye.
As many as eight species of a common soil fungus can cause root rot in South Dakota cornfields. Identifying the pathogens will help researchers test seed treatments and breeders develop resistant varieties.
Iowa State University researchers are trying to grow muskmelons of the perfect size. Smaller muskmelons that retain desirable flavor characteristics could result in less waste.
Study assembles canola root’s dose-response curves for nitrogen sources
In their quest for a tastier tomato, University of Florida scientists are finding traits they believe will tempt consumers with flavor that triggers their senses even more. They’re making significant progress on improving the UF-developed Tasti-Lee™ tomato – and it will feature improved flavor and aroma.
An international team of scientists, including climate scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, found that accounting for phosphorus-deficient soils reduced projected carbon dioxide uptake by an average of 50% in the Amazon, compared to current estimates based on previous climate models that did not take into account phosphorus deficiency.
Researchers have uncovered an unusual protein activity in rice that can be exploited to give crops an edge in the evolutionary arms race against rice blast disease, a major threat to rice production around the world.
When it comes to plant growth and development, one hormone is responsible for it all: auxin. New Washington University in St. Louis research has uncovered a mechanism by which it can affect a plant in a myriad of ways.
By moving beyond the surface level and literally digging deep, scientists at the University of California, Davis, found that compost is a key to storing carbon in semi-arid cropland soils, a strategy for offsetting CO2 emissions.
The NSF-funded project will focus on how gases, such as ozone, react with pollutants in the atmosphere. The research may help reduce air pollution levels and consequently, human cardiovascular diseases.
Biologists have developed the first system for determining gene expression based on machine learning. Considered a type of genetic Rosetta Stone for biologists, the new method leverages algorithms trained on a set of known plant genes to determine a species-wide set of transcribed genes, or “expressome,” then creates an atlas of expressible genes. The method carries implications across biology, from drug discovery to plant breeding to evolution.
Xylella fastidiosa, subsp. pauca is a bacterial pathogen currently devastating the olive orchards in Southern Italy (Apulia). Due to the epidemic, local production of olive oil has dropped by 90%, olive mills are shut down, the regional economy is suffering, and an invaluable cultural asset is compromised.
Cornell University will house the nation’s only industrial hemp germplasm repository – a seed bank – co-located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.
The genes that first enabled plants to grow shoots and conquer the land have been identified by University of Bristol researchers.
"Dangerous Pastures: Deadly Grass Puts Horses at Risk" - Such dire warnings on the websites of horse owners and horse lovers may cause people to see their environment in a whole new light.
More than one million plant and animal species worldwide are facing extinction, according to a recent United Nations report.
Conservation tillage does not lower yield in modern cropping systems
A measure to conserve groundwater in northwestern India has led to unexpected consequences: added air pollution in an area already beset by haze and smog.
Construction has begun on VENUS, a state-of-the-art neutron imaging instrument, at the Spallation Neutron Source at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This new instrument will provide a platform for studying in real time the makeup and performance of a wide range of functional materials under varying environments.
Biologists discovered a cellular transporter that links two of the most powerful hormones in plant development — auxin and cytokinin — and shows how they regulate root initiation and progression. Understanding why and how plants make different types of root architectures can help develop plants that better cope with distinct soil conditions and environments.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — By adopting a few beneficial management practices, farms — and particularly dairy farms — can play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet, according to a team of researchers. Based on a series of climate-model projections, the researchers found that if farmers worldwide set a target to adopt practices to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases, particularly methane and nitrous oxide, by just 25 percent over the next 30 years, they could reduce overall warming by 0.21 degrees Celsius, or 6 percent of projected total warming.
A University of Vermont study offers a novel framework to test strategies for managing invasive pests. Applying the framework to swede midge, a new invasive fly causing 100% crop losses for organic broccoli growers, the researchers have uncovered which odors are most effective at repelling the pest.
Cornell University researchers participating in the Eastern Broccoli Project, which aims to produce broccoli varieties suited to grow on the East Coast, have devised a statistical method to standardize evaluations of broccoli, in order to make plant breeding decisions more consistent and efficient.
A team of undergraduates at Cornell University, partnering with Michael Gore, professor of molecular breeding and genetics for nutritional quality, is aiming to use the tools of digital agriculture to spot Northern leaf blight – a devastating fungal disease of maize.
The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy and the UIC/National Institutes of Health Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research will host an open-to-the-public garden walk and lecture on July 26 to celebrate the first and only urban medicinal plant garden in Chicago.
Northern Arizona University researcher Bradley Butterfield looked at history's packrats to gauge what plant species move during warm, dry periods. The team found a plant’s evolutionary build are strong predictors of how quickly it can move to a more favorable climate when its current one becomes hotter or drier.
A team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered the specific gene that controls an important symbiotic relationship between plants and soil fungi, and successfully facilitated the symbiosis in a plant that typically resists it.
Working together can benefit plants and microbes to secure their future
A predictive model combining information about plant physiology, real-time soil conditions and weather forecasts can help make more informed decisions about when and how much to irrigate. This could save 40 percent of the water consumed by more traditional methods, according to new Cornell University research.
Researchers have discovered a new species of tree in the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and a globally important region for species in need of conservation.
Scientists call for more research into food grade corn breeding, production
Iowa State University researchers hope to connect the “silos” of various disciplines by encouraging wide collaboration to address agricultural challenges. The effort is part of the Genomes to Fields Initiative, which began in 2014 to make genomic data related to corn as widely available as possible.
Arbor Biosciences announces today its partnership with Curio Genomics for analysis of the IWGSC wheat exome
A new study of cabbage crops in New York – a state industry worth close to $60 million in 2017, according to the USDA – reports for the first time that the effectiveness of releasing natural enemies to combat pests depends on the landscape surrounding the field.
Wine researchers at the University of Adelaide are investigating drought-tolerant grape varieties from Cyprus for their suitability for Australian conditions.
A multinational team of researchers has identified countries where agriculture's increasing dependence on pollination, coupled with a lack of crop diversity, may threaten food security and economic stability.
The mustards, broccolis and cabbages of the world share a distinct and bitter taste. Some consider the flavor of cruciferous plants their strongest attribute. But even in India and China, where Brassicas have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years, scientists have sought to tone down the chemical compounds responsible for their pungent flavor.
Karolina Mukhtar, Ph.D., will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., with the 2019 PECASE award, a prestigious award for leadership in science and technology.
Research determines bioavailable nitrogen content of different biosolid products
As ecosystem engineers, bison have been hiding in plain sight for the past 40 years, since archaeologists first discovered that several native plants were domesticated in eastern North America. New research by Natalie Mueller, assistant professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, explains the connection, published July 8 in Nature Plants.
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