Kale is considered particularly healthy due, among other things, to its high secondary plant compound content, including the glucosinolates that give the vegetable its typical cabbage flavour.
Tag: PLANT SCIENCES
Small but mighty: the hidden power of broccoli sprouts
Broccoli sprouts have been discovered to contain seven times more polysulfides than mature broccoli
How to help save plants from extinction
UCR researchers suggest that assessing a plant’s physiological state during stress, exacerbated by hotter, drier climates, can reveal their proximity to local extinction
Prescribed burns encourage foul-smelling invaders
Though prescribed burns reduce wildfire threats and even improve habitat for some animals, new research shows these fires also spread stinknet, an aptly named weed currently invading superblooms across the Southwestern U.S.
Hanging by a purple thread
A movement is raising awareness of native gromwell plant’s importance in preserving Japanese culture. For example, revival projects currently underway throughout Japan are investigating the seed’s origins and educating the public on the importance of protecting the plant’s homogeneity. Purple gromwell contains shikonin derivatives in the plant’s root surfaces, which are red naphthoquinones. This natural pigment and medicinal properties are linked to ancient East Asian traditions.
Ants took over the world by following flowering plants out of prehistoric forests
Ants are pretty much everywhere. There are more than 14,000 different species, spread over every continent except Antarctica, and researchers have estimated that there are more than four quadrillion individual ants on Earth– that’s 4,000,000,000,000,000. But how ants evolved to take over the world is still a mystery.
An elegant new orchid hiding in plain sight
It is extremely rare for a new plant species to be discovered in Japan, a nation where flora has been extensively studied and documented. Nevertheless, Professor SUETSUGU Kenji and his associates recently uncovered a stunning new species of orchid whose rosy pink petals bear a striking resemblance to glasswork.
Brookhaven Lab’s Alistair Rogers Named 2022 AAAS Fellow
Alistair Rogers, a plant physiologist who leads the Terrestrial Ecosystem Science & Technology (TEST) Group in the Environmental and Climate Sciences Department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, has been named a 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Shedding light on photosynthesis at sea
Plants that live on land, such as spinach, grow by using sunlight to perform photosynthesis.
Now we know how plants steer clear of salt
To avoid salt in soil, plants can change their root direction and grow away from saline areas.
Researchers complete first comprehensive threat assessment of all U.S. trees
For the first time, researchers have completed threat assessments for all 881 native tree species in the contiguous United States, resulting in a comprehensive checklist and synthesis that will serve as a critical baseline to guide future tree conservation efforts.
Orchid helps insect get a grip
The wild orchid Habenaria radiata’s pure white petals resemble a white egret in flight (hence its common name white egret orchid).
Maine Wild Blueberry Fields Experience Warming Differently Depending on Location, Season, Time, Study Finds
The location, season and the time of day influence how fast temperatures are rising at Maine wild blueberry fields due to climate change, according to a new University of Maine study.
Lighting the tunnel of plant evolution: Scientists explore importance of two-pore channels in plants
Two-pore channels (TPCs) are ancient ion channels present in the cells of both animals and plants.
New research links tree health to how birds respond to climate change
New Research from Oxford University has revealed that shifts in the timing of egg laying by great tits in response to climate change vary markedly between breeding sites within the same woodland and that this variation is linked to the health of nearby oak trees.
Chemical discovery gets reluctant seeds to sprout
Seeds that would otherwise lie dormant will spring to life with the aid of a new chemical discovered by a UC Riverside-led team.
The microbial molecule that turns plants into zombies
A newly discovered manipulation mechanism used by parasitic bacteria to slow down plant aging, may offer new ways to protect disease-threatened food crops.
Grow and eat your own vaccines?
The future of vaccines may look more like eating a salad than getting a shot in the arm.
Danforth Center and Salk plant researchers launch collaboration to breed carbon-capturing sorghum
Researchers at the Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative have established a five-year, $6.2 million collaboration with Dr. Nadia Shakoor and her team at the Danforth Center to identify and develop sorghum plants that can better capture and store atmospheric carbon.
New Study Exposes Big Differences Amongst Amazonian Countries in Their Rates of Forest Recovery as Well as Deforestation
Large-scale forest restoration in the Amazon is an important “nature-based solution” to climate change, a major focus of the UK-hosted UN Climate Change COP26 Conference in November.
Extreme heat, dry summers main cause of tree death in Colorado’s subalpine forests
Even in the absence of bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire, trees in Colorado subalpine forests are dying at increasing rates from warmer and drier summer conditions, found recent University of Colorado Boulder research. The study, published in the May print…
Juicy past of favorite Okinawan fruit revealed
Citrus fruits from the mandarin family have important commercial value but how their diversity arose has been something of a mystery Researchers analyzed the genomes of the East Asian varieties and found a second center of diversity in the Ryukyu…
International collaboration of scientists rewrite the rulebook of flowering plant genetics
How do you study a group of organisms with over 300,000 species, dispersed across all seven continents, and with up to 50 times as much DNA content as the human genome? This is the question posed to biologists studying the…
The National Academy of Sciences admits IPK scientist Nicolaus von Wirén as member
“When I received the news about my election by the members of the Leopoldina, I was of course surprised, but also extremely pleased. On the one hand, I see the acceptance as a great honour and obligation to represent plant…
Blushing plants reveal when fungi are growing in their roots
Almost all crop plants form associations with a particular type of fungi – called arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi – in the soil, which greatly expand their root surface area. This mutually beneficial interaction boosts the plant’s ability to take up nutrients…
Southeastern US herbaria digitize three million specimens, now freely available online
A network of over 100 herbaria spread out across the southeastern United States recently completed the herculean task of fully digitizing more than three million specimens collected by botanists and naturalists over a span of 200 years. The project, which…
Bio-based coating for wood outperforms traditional synthetic options
Researchers turn a non-toxic residue into wood coating that resists abrasion, stain, and sunlight.
New insight on the reproductive evolution of land plants
International consortium offers novel insight into the reproductive evolution of land plants, in new study published in Nature Plants
California’s carbon mitigation efforts may be thwarted by climate change itself
UCI study: Higher heat will limit ecosystem’s role in removing atmospheric CO2
Drought changes rice root microbiome
Drought can have a lasting impact on the community of microbes that live in and around roots of rice plants, a team led by UC Davis researchers has found. Root-associated microbes help plants take up nutrients from the soil, so…
New PlantwisePlus program launched to help farmers produce more and higher quality food
PlantwisePlus will build on CABI’s Plantwise and Action on Invasives programmes, which have already helped millions of farmers in over 30 countries diagnose and treat pest threats and reduce crop losses by strengthening national plant health systems.
Microbes play role in corn ‘hybrid vigor’
The tiny organisms living in soil may have a greater effect on the yield and pest and disease resistance of crop plants grown in that soil than previously known. Researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Kansas…
Study innovates in gluten-free formulations, creating more palatable and nutritious bread
Study at the Federal University of São Paulo developed a recipe combining chickpea flour and psyllium, a plant-derived soluble fiber. The product is nourishing and rated highly by consumers in qualitative surveys.
Glass sponges have properties for the design of ships, planes and skyscrapers
Published in the journal Nature the first-ever simulation of the deep-sea Venus flower sponge and how it responds to and influences the flow of nearby water.
Untrained Beer Drinkers Can Taste Different Barley Genotypes
When it comes to craft beer, the flavor doesn’t have to be all in the hops.
Research shows microbes play critical role boosting vigor of hybrid corn
LAWRENCE — A new paper appearing the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences gives new detail and understanding to the cultivation of corn, one of the United States’ biggest cash crops. The research by a team at the University…
Remote sensing techniques help treat and manage hollow forests
Oak tree decline detected by advanced remote sensing techniques
Scientists uncover drivers of phenotypic innovation and diversification in gymnosperms
Determining the major drivers of species diversification and phenotypic innovation across the Tree of Life is one of the grand challeges in evolutionary biology. Facilitated by the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species of the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) of…
DNA duplication linked to the origin and evolution of pine trees and their relatives
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Plants are DNA hoarders. Adhering to the maxim of never throwing anything out that might be useful later, they often duplicate their entire genome and hang on to the added genetic baggage. All those extra genes are…
Modified yeast inhibits fungal growth in plants
External application could reduce agricultural reliance on fungicides
Kelp for corn? Illinois scientists demystify natural products for crops
URBANA, Ill. – Corn growers can choose from a wide array of products to make the most of their crop, but the latest could bring seaweed extract to a field near you. The marine product is just one class in…
A new sensitive tool for the efficient quantification of plant disease susceptibility
While several biology techniques have undergone significant technical advances that have allowed their high-throughput implementation, assessing the resistance levels of plant varieties to microbial pathogens remains an arduous and time-consuming task. In response to this, Pujara and collaborators took advantage…
International partners unveil landmark insect resistant cowpea for Nigerian farmers
The first public sector biotech food crop released in Africa
When corals meet algae: First stages of symbiosis seen for the first time
First observations of coral cells and free-living algae physically interacting provide a deeper understanding of their symbiosis and improve conservation of reefs
Farm robots are the future; let’s start preparing now, researcher argues
No longer science fiction, farm robots are already here–and they have created two possible extremes for the future of agriculture and its impacts on the environment, argues agricultural economist Thomas Daum in a Science & Society article published July 13…
Decoding crop genetics with artificial intelligence
Cross-disciplinary researchers are bringing the power of AI to plant biology with the support of more than $1 million from the NSF
Getting to the bottom of all life: Visualizing a protein key to enabling
Scientists reveal the exact process behind the upkeep of one of the cellular components where
New technique reduces nicotine levels, harmful compounds simultaneously in tobacco
North Carolina State University researchers have developed a new technique that can alter plant metabolism. Tested in tobacco plants, the technique showed that it could reduce harmful chemical compounds, including some that are carcinogenic. The findings could be used to…
Genetic analysis to help predict sunflower oil properties
Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from the University of Southern California have performed genetic analysis of a Russian sunflower collection and identified genetic markers that can help predict the oil’s fatty acid composition. The research was published in BMC Genomics.…
Genome editing for food: how do people react?
Research team from the Universities of Göttingen and British Columbia investigates evaluations of breeding technology