Tag: Roots

Tropical Plants Beat Drought by Interacting with Specific Microbes

sarah JonasResearch Results

Researchers from the University of Arizona and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy user facility, discovered that that plants can maintain specific microbe partnerships during times of drought, revealing a new level of resilience.

Roots of Bloody Mary

sarah JonasResearch Results

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.

Submit proposal for research funding opportunity at EMSL, a Department of Energy scientific facility

sarah JonasAnnouncement

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is seeking biological and environmental science project proposals for the Fiscal Year 2024 Exploratory Research Call through 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 6.

Watching Plant Roots Grow in a Transparent Simulated Soil

sarah JonasResearch Results

The rhizosphere, the underground ecological zone between and around plant roots, is difficult to study. Scientists have now developed a rhizosphere-on-a-chip with a transparent simulated soil structure that allows researchers to view how roots grow over time through the pores in the soil. Paired with specialized mass spectrometry techniques, scientist can also use the rhizosphere-on-a-chip to map the location of root-exuded molecules, like amino acids, without hurting the plant.