Bending rose stems dramatically increases photosynthesis.
Author - Dale Maylea
Dale Maylea
Reading the fingerprints on your nuts
Are you getting the hazelnuts you pay for? How do you know? A new technique offers an alternative to subjective tests like flavour.
A software package to simulate daily field crop canopy photosynthesis
How can we improve crops in the future? One method would be to improve the photosynthesis process in crops, to increase productivity from the same plants. However, there isn’t a lot of research connecting leaf...
The trouble with travelling tree rings
There is a huge demand for long-term climate data, and tree growth rings could help with that, but an article in Quaternary Science Reviews warns there should be some caution using the data, as not all rings are the...
Origins of domesticated pearl millet identified in the western Sahara
A long disagreement over the origins of millet farming in Africa may have been solved by combining genetics with archaeological evidence.
Cells can use miRNAs to as a signal for their position within a plant.
Plants use miRNAs to pass signals between cells. But cells can't just let anything in or out, so how do miRNAs get around?
When is it your time to bloom? For a plant, it’s HISTONE DEACETYLASE 19 and FD that decides
A shoot shouldn't become a flower too early, but needs some control over when the process happens. A paper in JXB finds the genes responsible.
Stinging plants share needle designs
It's not just nettles that sting. Plants discovered how to defend themselves multiple times, but whatever building blocks they use, they all share a similar design in needles.
What drives the big changes in evolution, biological interactions or geography?
How did life get so diverse ?in silico modelling of evolution suggests there's not one specific cause, but a complex interaction including diversity interacting with itself.
To explain relationships in life, you need a ‘Tree of Death’
Phylogenetics seeks to explain the relationships between organisms today, effectively drawing up a phylogeny, like a family tree. That means pulling together information on the past history of a group, and so botanists...
Hybrids face a battle for dominance of the genome
When two different genomes come together in a hybrid or polyploid, it can trigger conflict in the new genome. A review in New Phytologist investigates how one subgenome can become dominant.
Pest control through conservation is not always a success
Is there a better way to control pests than spraying chemicals? Keeping a non-crop habitat nearby can help shelter predators, but new research shows the correlation between conservation and pest-control isn't simple.
Fort McMurray researchers find forests highlight the high fire risk areas
The larger the tree, the drier the peat and so the greater the fire risk.
