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UrduNews from the life sciences
Tag: PLANT SCIENCES
Plants use a blend of external influences to evolve defense mechanisms
Findings reveal how plants use a blend of genes, geography, demography and environmental conditions to evolve defense chemicals over time
Soaking up the sun: Artificial photosynthesis promises clean, sustainable source of energy
Humans can do lots of things that plants can’t do. We can walk around, we can talk, we can hear and see and touch. But plants have one major advantage over humans: They can make energy directly from the sun.…
Scientists discover unreported plant body part
For many, the Thale cress ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) is little more than a roadside weed, but this plant has a long history with scientists trying to understand how plants grow and develop. Arabidopsis was first scientifically described as early…
Mains to Rains website promotes steps towards sustainable gardening
Researchers at Cranfield University have worked with colleagues at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to launch a new website aimed at saving water in the garden. Gardeners visiting the Mains to Rains website can pledge to reduce their dependence on…
Climate change leads to unprecedented Rocky Mountain wildfires
June 14, 2021 – Last fall, the Mullen fire west of Laramie raged for the better part of two months, burning more than 176,000 acres and 70 structures in Wyoming’s Carbon and Albany counties, and in Jackson County, Colo. Unfortunately,…
Study effects paradigm shift in the understanding of how red rot attacks sugarcane
Researchers at the University of São Paulo discover that the fungus Fusarium verticillioides uses volatile compounds to manipulate insects and plants, promoting its own dissemination
Trees, plants and soil could help cities cut their carbon footprints — when used smartly
Researchers call for international product standards for green infrastructure
Scientists call for improved management of a weedy tree to protect owl habitat
When is a weed not a weed? Can native plants be weeds? Sweet pittosporum ( Pittosporum undulatum ) was once a well-behaved tree growing in gullies from Gippsland in Victoria up to Brisbane in Queensland. But it is now a…
Big data: IPK researchers double accuracy in predicting wheat yields
The enormous potential of Big Data has already been demonstrated in areas such as financial services and telecommunications. An international team of researchers led by the IPK Leibniz Institute has now tapped the potential of big data for the first…
New methods needed to boost success of Classical Biological Control to fight insect pests
The success of Classical Biological Control in the Western Paleartic ecozone is rarely dependent on the released biological control agent, but more often on other factors, such as the target pest, its host plant, or the circumstances of the releases
A new mechanism behind continuous stem cell activity in plants
Family rivalry between transcription factors
Nicotinamide can ‘immunize’ plants to protect from fungal disease
Research led by Kanazawa University shows that application of the nicotinamide to wheat spike activated plant immunity and then effectively suppressed the disease symptoms and mycotoxin accumulation of Fusarium head blight
Botany: Scent of death attracts coffin flies to pipevine flowers
Plants use numerous mechanisms for their pollination. Now botanists have discovered a particularly sophisticated system among pipevines that is based purely on deception. The flowers of the Greek plant Aristolochia microstoma emit a foul, musty scent that seems to mimic…
Decoded genome of little-known disease offers hope for citrus
Benign infection can potentially send medicine into plants
How do plants balance microbial friends and foes?
Plants are constantly exposed to microbes: pathogens that cause disease, commensals that cause no harm or benefit, and mutualists that promote plant growth or help fend off pathogens. For example, most land plants can form positive relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal…
How cells measure themselves
Ever since scientists discovered cells under the microscope more than 350 years ago, they have noted that each type of cell has a characteristic size. From tiny bacteria to inches-long neurons, size matters for how cells work. The question of…
Indigenous mortality following Spanish colonization did not always lead to forest regrowth
A new study, published now in Nature Ecology and Evolution , draws on pollen records from tropical regions formerly claimed by the Spanish Empire in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, to test the significance and extent of forest regrowth…
As a decade of ecosystem restoration kicks off, don’t forget the people
Global ecosystem restoration efforts are often measured by billions of trees planted or square kilometers of land restored. But there is a critical void in the agenda: The social and political dimensions that make restoration a success
Study on plant roots challenges nature of ecological trade-offs
The specific traits of a plant’s roots determine the climatic conditions under which a particular plant prevails. A new study led by the University of Wyoming sheds light on this relationship — and challenges the nature of ecological trade-offs. Daniel…
Curtin study finds aspirin takes the headache out of restoration
New Curtin research has shown how a readily available, cheap and safe-to-use product found in the medicine cabinet of most homes could be the key to better ecological restoration practices with major benefits for the environment and agriculture. The study…
Origin of fairy circles: Euphorbia hypothesis disproved
Researchers led by Göttingen University examine the long-term results of an experiment from more than 40 years ago
Localized the gene for blue plum skin
Researchers from CRAG and IRTA find the gene that determines Japanese plum skin colour due to the presence or absence of anthocyanins, a group of plant antioxidant pigments with health-promoting effects
Language extinction triggers loss of unique medicinal knowledge
Language is one of our species’ most important skills, as it has enabled us to occupy nearly every corner of the planet. Among other things, language allows indigenous societies to use the biodiversity that surrounds them as a “living pharmacy”…
Discovery of the oldest plant fossils on the African continent!
A new study describes a particularly diverse fossil flora from 400 million year ago.
Researchers want to create an entirely new category of climate-friendly plant-based foods
A new research project, PROFERMENT, run by the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen, has received DKK 56 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to develop the fundamental knowledge required to invent a completely new category of…
A new disease called halo blight threatens Michigan hop production
If you’re a beer drinker, you’ve noticed that hoppy beers have become increasingly popular. Most of the nation’s hops come from the Pacific Northwest. However, commercial hop production regions have expanded significantly. In Michigan hop production nearly tripled between 2014…
Researchers discover how cowpea mosaic plant virus activates immune system against cancer
Immunology researchers led by Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center discover how the cowpea mosaic plant virus is recognized by and strongly stimulates the immune system to attack and often eliminate cancerous tumors
This forest has stayed wild for 5,000 years — we can tell because of the soil
We sometimes think of the Amazon rainforest as unaltered by humans, a peek into the planet’s past. In recent years, scientists have learned that many parts of the Amazon aren’t untouched at all–they’ve been cultivated by Indigenous peoples for thousands…
Sensing what plants sense: Integrated framework helps scientists explain biology and predict crop performance
AMES, Iowa – Scientists have invested great time and effort into making connections between a plant’s genotype, or its genetic makeup, and its phenotype, or the plant’s observable traits. Understanding a plant’s genome helps plant biologists predict how that plant…
Indigenous peoples were stewards of the Western Amazon
Study points to a history of indigenous sustainable use of the Western Amazon stretching back 5,000 years
Researchers want to convert rapeseed proteins from feed to food
A new research project SEEDFOOD will attempt to change this by creating new fundamental knowledge, so we can use the proteins for food in the future. The research project has been established with a grant of DKK 56 million kroner
Plants get a faster start to their day than we think
To describe something as slow and boring we say it’s “like watching grass grow”, but scientists studying the early morning activity of plants have found they make a rapid start to their day – within minutes of dawn. Just as…
The 8th International Horticulture Research Conference Announcement
To showcase the latest achievements and research progress in the field of horticulture, and promote communication and cooperation among world experts, the 8th International Horticulture Research Conference will be held from July 20 to 22, 2021 in Nanjing, China, and…
Why scientists want to solve an underground mystery about where microbes live
BU researchers develop first-of-its-kind model to predict which species of soil organisms live in different environments, with huge implications for agriculture, climate change, and public health
Substantial carbon dioxide emissions from northern peatlands drained for crop cultivation
A new study shows that substantial amounts of carbon dioxide were released during the last millennium because of crop cultivation on peatlands in the Northern Hemisphere. Only about half of the carbon released through the conversion of peat to croplands…
Plant competition during climate change
How plants cope with stress factors has already been broadly researched. Yet what happens when a plant is confronted with two stressors simultaneously? A research team working with Simon Haberstroh and Prof. Dr. Christiane Werner of the Chair of Ecosystem…
Mixed farming methods could reduce US emissions and increase productivity
Modeled nitrogen-sparing farms across the US exceeded demand for protein but produced 20% less beef
Better popping potential for popcorn
Popcorn. What would movies and sporting events without this salty, buttery snack? America’s love for this snack goes beyond these events. We consume 15 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year. When it comes to popcorn, consumers want a seed-to-snack…
Acoustic solutions made from natural fibers can reduce buildings’ carbon footprints
Aalto University researchers discovered that wood-based pulp fibers are also well-suited for making acoustic materials
The best strawberries to grow in hot locations
It’s strawberry season in many parts of the U.S, and supermarkets are teeming with these fresh heart-shaped treats. Although the bright red, juicy fruit can grow almost anywhere with lots of sunlight, production in some hot, dry regions is a…
How do plants hedge their bets?
In some environments there is no way for a seed to know for sure when the best time to germinate is. In spring, cues like light, temperature and water may suggest to seeds that conditions are optimal for germination, but…
Plant flowering in low-nitrogen soils: A mechanism revealed
Scientists from Japan, Europe and the USA have described a pathway leading to the accelerated flowering of plants in low-nitrogen soils. These findings could eventually lead to increases in agricultural production. Nitrogen is one of the three macronutrients required by…
Scientists call for international investment to tackle major wheat losses
Urgent investment in new tools is needed to address major global losses of wheat crops which cost £22 billion per year. Leading scientific experts are calling for governments around the world to come together and fund a new international research…
Reaction of plants to abiotic stresses
The human population is increasing worldwide at a much faster rate and is expected to increase from ~7 billion to ~ 10 billion by the end of the year 2050. On the other hand, agricultural productivity is not increasing at…
The new species of bacteria killing palms in Australia
While investigating a disease outbreak in a Queensland botanical gardens, researchers discovered a new species of bacteria that causes a fatal disease in palms
The world’s smallest fruit picker controlled by artificial intelligence
Physicists from DTU have studied whether valuable chemical substances can be harvested directly from the cells of plants. Using a harvester measuring only a few microns, they have now achieved a technological breakthrough
Dinosaur-age fossils provide new insights into origin of flowering plants
Flowering plants (angiosperms) dominate most terrestrial ecosystems, providing the bulk of human food. However, their origin has been a mystery since the earliest days of evolutionary thought. Angiosperm flowers are hugely diverse. The key to clarifying the origin of flowers…
Wildfire monitoring and prevention: Science, innovation and cross-border cooperation
The regions of Puglia and Epirus (Greece) now have new innovative tools for fire danger prevention and operational fire-fighting decisions. The major achievements of the project Ofidia 2 – Operational Fire Danger preventIon plAtform 2 funded by the European Territorial…
Research identifies climate-change refugia in dry-forest region
The study was conducted in a Brazilian national park and was based on analysis of tree rings in the species Amburana cearensis, as well as satellite images