In the not too distant future computers may be used to directly monitor and control the growth of plants. For a moment, consider the prevalence of sophisticated electronic medical technologies already in use today. Patients now regularly receive retinal and cochlear implants to restore vision... click to read more

Vitamins are essential for life. They perform a huge variety of tasks within metabolism, with many helping to promote biochemical reactions in our bodies. In general, we cannot make vitamins from scratch, and so we must obtain them from our diet. Plants and microorganisms can... click to read more

Throughout the growing season seemingly benign clouds pass over millions of acres of crops and inadvertently rob plants of their productivity, costing untold bushels of potential yield. Researchers recently reported in the journal Science that they have engineered a solution and increased the productivity of... click to read more

All plants must sense, and respond to, their environment. This perception is of crucial importance to developing seedlings. Initially, they must grow in subterranean darkness in order to reach the surface - a process known as skotomorphogenesis (development in the dark). Once at the surface,... click to read more

Many plants, including staple crops, need insects to reproduce. Changing climate and human interference threaten the sensitive relationships between plants and their pollinators. Many aspects of these relationships are not well understood. However, this knowledge may be crucial to sustain and increase crop production to... click to read more