Resistance to 2,4-D in wild radish is complex and appears to vary in its mechanism from one population to the next, but new research suggests that lower receptivity at the plasma membrane is part of the answer.
Trees fight infections by trapping pathogens in one part of the tree. Hugh Morris and colleagues have been reviewing how trees use secondary metabolites in order to control the process.
Drought stress is becoming increasingly common with climate change, with negative impacts on tree growth and survival. The mechanisms of drought mortality in trees are often attributed to carbon starvation or hydraulic...
Botanists find a clear trade-off between fruit size and phytochemical production, helping to explain why our modern varieties are highly susceptible to diseases and pests.
Although Darwin recognised long ago the destructive impact that snails and slugs have on seedlings, we understand remarkably little about why these herbivores select different plants at their most vulnerable stage...
Guest author Danica Goggin finds wild radish is a problem weed in many agricultural regions. It is also very good at concealing its herbicide resistance strategies from inquisitive researchers. But with the introduction...
Pollinators are often given precedence as the primary drivers behind the evolution of floral traits. Yet a growing body of research is beginning to stress the importance of other significant selective agents...
Plant defence against Botrytis cinerea, a ubiquitous pathogenic fungus, is known to depend upon the mobilisation of sugars which provide energy and carbon skeletons for the production of antifungal compounds. Lecompte...
Maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP) is a vector-borne pathogen that induces multiple morphological alterations in maize plants. Orlovskis et al. find that MBSP isolates from two maize growing regions of Southeast...