Soil microbes play a key role in plant disease resistance
Scientists have discovered that soil microbes can make plants more resistant to an aggressive disease — opening new possibilities for sustainable food production.
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Why the lettuce mitochondrial genome is like a chopped salad
The genomes of mitochondria are usually depicted as rings or circles. But in plants, 1 ring does not rule them all. A new study of lettuce shows that the mitochondrial genome often forms branching structures with elements that can be swapped around like a chopped salad.
Read moreTo grow or to flower: Genes IDed in early land plant descendant also found in modern crops
Since they first arrived on land, plants have likely been using the same genetic tools to regulate whether they grow bigger or reproduce. The discovery was made using liverwort, one descendant of the first plants to move out of the ancient oceans and onto land.
Read moreNew microbe discovered in wheat stem sawfly
A new article discusses the potential ramifications of the discovery for combating the serious damage done by sawflies.
Read moreEarly rice farmers unwittingly selected for weedy imposters
Early rice growers unwittingly gave barnyard grass a big hand, helping to give root to a rice imitator that is now considered one of the world's worst agricultural weeds.
Read morePalmer amaranth's molecular secrets reveal troubling potential
Corn, soybean, and cotton farmers shudder at the thought of Palmer amaranth invading their fields. The aggressive cousin of waterhemp – itself a formidable adversary – grows extremely rapidly, produces hundreds of thousands of seeds per plant, and is resistant to multiple classes of herbicides. New research explains Palmer's evil genius.
Read moreHarnessing tomato jumping genes could help speed-breed drought-resistant crops
Once dismissed as 'junk DNA' that served no purpose, a family of 'jumping genes' found in tomatoes has the potential to accelerate crop breeding for traits such as improved drought resistance.
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