Plant parasitic nematodes harm pineapple crop yields in Kenya
Pineapple is the third most economically important fruit crop worldwide, after banana and mango. The largest producers are Costa Rica, the Philippines, Brazil and Thailand, which together amount to nearly 50% of total world production. In Africa, Nig.....»»
Why some plant diseases thrive in urban environments
Rachel Penczykowski, an assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and five WashU graduate and undergraduate students tracked infestations of powdery mildew on common broadleaf weeds. Their study, publish.....»»
Research says high energy fire influences prescribed burn effectiveness
Fighting woody plant encroachment with prescribed burns may be more effective than land managers previously thought......»»
Quebec lake meteorite impact yields rare rocks and evidence of extreme heat
For more than a decade, Western University planetary geologist Gordon "Oz" Osinski has led expeditions to Kamestastin Lake in Labrador. The environment is a perfect training ground because the properties and rock formations—created by the violent i.....»»
Q&A: Finding varieties of corn that are adapted to future climates
Corn is one of the planet's most important crops. It not only provides sweet kernels to flavor many dishes, but it's also used in oils, as a sweetener syrup, and as a feed crop for livestock. Corn has been bred to maximize its yield on farms around t.....»»
Research reveals plant pathogens repurpose phage elements for bacterial warfare
Bacteriophages, viruses that attack and destroy bacteria, are everywhere in the natural world where they play a vital role in regulating microbe populations in ways that are not yet well understood......»»
Organic farmers" beliefs about soil microbiome affect their practices, study shows
Organic farming can support soil microorganisms that promote plant defenses and reduce insect pests. But not all organic practices are equally beneficial for soil microbes, and it's important to understand farmer motivations in order to encourage the.....»»
Sweetpotato"s sweet revenge against fungal disease
Sweetpotato black rot is a devastating disease caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fimbriata. Since the late 1800s, black rot of sweetpotato has threatened to destroy as much as 30% of the sweetpotato crop in the United States. In 2015, all sweetpotato.....»»
Ford plans to cut up to 1,600 jobs at Valencia plant in Spain
The company, which employs about 4,700 workers at the factory, told unions it plans to eliminate 600 jobs permanently, while it is open to negotiate the possible rehiring of 1,000 people later......»»
Mongolian grasslands study reveals key drivers of plant community stability in changing climate
An international research team has undertaken a study of plants in the Mongolian grasslands to evaluate the stability of these plant communities over time. They specifically looked at how the dryness of the climate impacted the plant communities and.....»»
Underwater gardeners plant eelgrass to save "dead" Danish fjord
Under a white tent on the shores of a polluted Danish fjord, volunteers and researchers prepare slender green shoots of eelgrass to be planted on the seabed to help restore the site's damaged ecosystem......»»
Researchers explore the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potentials of essential oils
Essential oils, also known as ethereal oils, are volatile, aromatic compounds derived from plants. Found in only about 10% of the plant kingdom, these oils are present in secretory structures such as glands, ducts, cavities, and hairs. Chemically, th.....»»
Scientists engineer yellow-seeded camelina with high oil output
Efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from transportation fuels are increasing demand for oil produced by nonfood crops. These plants use sunlight to power the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into oil, which accumulates in seeds. Crop.....»»
Climate misinformation overshadows record floods worldwide
Climate skeptics are scapegoating a weather modification technique known as cloud seeding to deny the role of global warming in historic floods that have recently devastated countries from Brazil to Kenya......»»
"Mishmi Tita" research provide an overview of the medicinal herb"s uses and conservation
Coptis teeta Wall. (C. teeta), commonly known as "Mishmi Tita," is a medicinal herb of considerable value traditionally used for treating various health conditions. This endangered plant, listed in the Red Data Book, is found in India, Nepal, Bhutan,.....»»
Polarized light yields fresh insight into mysterious fast radio bursts
Scientists looked at how polarization changed direction to learn more about origins Enlarge / Artist’s rendition of how the angle of polarized light from a fast radio burst changes as it journeys through space. (credit: CHIME/.....»»
Are plants intelligent? It depends on the definition
Goldenrod can perceive other plants nearby without ever touching them, by sensing far-red light ratios reflected off leaves. When goldenrod is eaten by herbivores, it adapts its response based on whether or not another plant is nearby......»»
A tiny new plant species reaffirms the "miraculous" survival of Western Ecuador"s ravished biodiversity
A new 2-inch-high plant species has been discovered on the western Andean slopes of Ecuador in an area where scientists once believed a rich diversity of native plants and animals had been totally destroyed......»»
Tech solutions to limit kids" access to social media are fraught with problems, including privacy risks
A campaign to block children's access to social media to limit online harm and unhealthy internet use is picking up momentum in Australian politics. The current age limit for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok is 13, but some state gove.....»»
New study helps disentangle role of soil microbes in the global carbon cycle
When soil microbes eat plant matter, the digested food follows one of two pathways. Either the microbe uses the food to build its own body, or it respires its meal as carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere......»»
Fine-tuning leaf angle with CRISPR improves sugarcane yield
Sugarcane is the world's largest crop by biomass yield, providing 80% of the sugar and 40% of the biofuel produced worldwide. The plant's size and efficient use of water and light make it a prime candidate to produce advanced renewable, value-added b.....»»