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Plant Biology

showing 36-40 of 54 breaks

A tale of morning glories. New discoveries about the origin of the sweet potato

Morning glories, so called because of their characteristic full bloom in the early morning, are common garden plants that belong to the family Convolvulaceae. Perhaps surprisingly, the most famous morning glory species is not famous for its flowers, but instead for its underground, tasty structures:... click to read more

  • Pablo Munoz Rodriguez | PhD student at Green Templeton College, Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP Programme, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Views 5991
Reading time 4 min
published on Dec 13, 2018
Smart plant defense against a stealthy herbivore

Many vegetables, fruits and ornamental flowers you buy in shops, have been treated with chemicals. The reason for this is that herbivorous insects and pathogens that would otherwise destroy these crops had to be killed. The use of pesticides and insecticides is not harmless and... click to read more

  • Karen J. Kloth | Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Views 5513
Reading time 3.5 min
published on Sep 28, 2018
The intimate relationships between seeds and fungi

Fungi are almost everywhere. By influencing important processes, such as decomposition and nutrient cycling in forests around the globe, helping plants acquire nutrients from the soil, or helping them cope with enemies that munch on their leaves, fungi are important players on key aspects of... click to read more

  • Carolina Sarmiento | Research assistant at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
Views 6046
Reading time 3 min
published on Aug 30, 2018
Explore the best sugar factory: the fruit

Everyone knows that eating fruit is important for good health, being full of vitamins and essential elements. The delicious taste of a fruit is mainly determined by its sugar and acid composition. Indeed, fruit contains several sugars with different properties. For example, in peach, there... click to read more

  • Elsa Desnoues | Postdoctoral Researcher at Cornell University, NYSAES, Geneva, NY, USA
  • Michel Génard | Director of research at INRA Centre de recherche PACA, Avignon, France
  • Bénédicte Quilot-Turion | Researcher at INRA Centre de recherche PACA, Avignon, France
  • Valentina Baldazzi | Chargé de Recherche at INRA Centre de recherche PACA, Avignon, France
Views 5272
Reading time 3.5 min
published on Aug 29, 2018
From forests to streams: How one plant can make a difference

Did you ever try the nectar of a honeysuckle flower as a kid? Maybe you have memories of plucking the numerous, small, white and yellow flowers from the bush's branches to get at that single drop of sweetness inside each one. If these plants were... click to read more

  • Rachel E. McNeish | Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago | LUC, Chicago, USA
Views 4118
Reading time 4 min
published on Aug 21, 2018