Plants

“Just like we do research with corn, wheat, soybean, getting these plants to be more efficient in taking up nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium—well, there needs to be this research that goes into understanding the mechanisms of metal hyperaccumulation,” says McNear. “And then enhancing that, whether it be through gene editing, or whatever.”ARPA-E is eying a specific kind of dirt to try these plants in, known as ultramafic soil, which is high in iron, cobalt, chromium, and nickel. It’s common where there’s been…

A study highlights that invasive plants can stay dormant for decades to centuries before becoming ecological threats, underscoring the importance of considering dormancy in managing invasions.Non-native species can remain dormant for decades or even centuries before they begin to spread.According to a new study led by the University of California, Davis, invasive plants can stay dormant for decades or even centuries after they have been introduced into an environment before rapidly expanding and wreaking ecological…

The discovery of the world’s oldest fossilized forest in South West England, dating back 390 million years, provides crucial insights into the early forms of tree life and their impact on Earth’s landscapes during the Devonian Period. This groundbreaking research emphasizes the significant role of early trees in stabilizing environments and shaping the evolution of river systems. A forest of Calamophyton trees. Credit: Peter Giesen/Chris BerryThe oldest fossilized forest ever discovered on Earth, dating back 390 million…

A groundbreaking study by UMass Amherst researchers has identified how plants manage cellular processes to respond to environmental changes. By focusing on the interactions among pectin, FERONIA and LLG1 receptor proteins, and the RALF peptide, the study reveals a key molecular process that enables plants to adapt and survive various stresses, providing new insights into plant resilience mechanisms.Research provides new insights into how cells in plants coordinate their responses.A team of researchers from the University…

If you ever watch a duck float across a pond, gobbling up the vegetation coating the surface, that bird is way ahead of its time. The buoyant greenery is azolla, a tiny fern that grows like crazy, doubling its biomass as quickly as every two days to conquer small bodies of water. The duck doesn’t know it—and who could blame it, really—but azolla may soon spread across human civilization, becoming food for people and livestock, fertilizer for crops, and even biofuel.“I’m not out here saying everybody should go eat this…

New research reveals the atomic secrets of photosynthesis, providing insights into the complex process of chloroplast RNA polymerase transcription. This advancement holds promise for improving crop resilience and understanding plant growth mechanisms. Credit: SciTechDaily.comThe mysteries of photosynthesis have been unveiled at the atomic level, providing significant new insights into this plant super-power that transformed the Earth into a green landscape over a billion years ago.John Innes Centre researchers used an…

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory identified key differences in gene regulation between tomato and Arabidopsis thaliana plants, which could explain challenges in crop engineering. This breakthrough, revealing how mutations affect plant growth and development, highlights the importance of understanding genetic regulation to enhance predictability and efficiency in agriculture. Credit: SciTechDaily.comPlant genomics has come a long way since Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) helped sequence the first plant…

Native to the eastern U.S., Carolina azolla holds excellent potential for use as a fast-growing, short-season crop that requires minimal inputs, upkeep, and processing, according to Penn State researchers. The plant — sometimes referred to as mosquito fern, fairy moss, and water fern — could be used to increase the food supply. Credit: Penn StateThe rapidly expanding aquatic fern possesses the nutritional profile necessary to act as a crucial food source in post-disaster scenarios and could be relevant now.An…

The image shows a high-resolution 3D model of the plant RNA polymerase PEP, which plays a central role in photosynthesis. Credit: Paula Favoretti Vital do Prado and Johannes Pauly / MPI-NAT, UMGResearchers from Hannover and Göttingen have successfully created three-dimensional visualizations of chloroplasts’ copying machines.For the survival of life on Earth, the process where plants perform photosynthesis to generate oxygen and chemical energy using sunlight is crucial. Scientists from Göttingen and Hannover have now…

Thanks to a recent discovery regarding marine algae, scientists have developed crop plants that absorb a fuller spectrum of sunlight, resulting in better growth. The finding could also lead to increased production of biofuels.Because seawater absorbs the red spectrum of sunlight fairly close to the surface, marine algae are left to make do with the blue-green spectrum that reaches down to them. In order to use that light to perform photosynthesis, they produce a special blue-green-light-absorbing chlorophyll known as…