Plant Biology

GMOs are not a human invention: sweet potato is a naturally transgenic food crop

Genetically modified organisms can be the natural result of environmental interactions between plants and their surroundings.

Attractive in the dark — how petunias may help to feed humanity

Out of the darkness: how plants prepare for, and endure, life in the sun

Cloudy days cost yield until scientists hacked photosynthesis

Capturing Mother Nature at work: seeing how plants make vitamin B6

Guiding plant growth electronically

One root for every soil: a double-personality tale

Boechera, Why are you so Cool?

Due to their static nature, plants must adapt to their surrounding environment. Among other challenges, resisting to the sun-heat is a major one. How do they...

How do plants breathe?

Breathing air in and out is something that we, as humans, perform in every moment of our lives. Plants do likewise thanks to tiny mouths called stomata.

Bringing the flavor back to modern tomatoes

Wondering why modern tomatoes are often so tasteless? New insights on their DNA offer a roadmap to bring back their tasty flavor.

The fragrance of plants: how their perfume pervades the air

It’s spring and the smell of flowers spreads through the air. What we perceive as “smell” are chemical compounds also called “volatiles” which are...

Will gene therapy save the banana?

Gene therapy is at the forefront of medical research, but...can it help us save a beloved fruit?

Probing the evolution of photosynthetic life on the early Earth

Plants are able to gather energy from the sun thanks to an evolutionary partnership between photosynthetic bacteria and early living organisms. It is commonly...

Scented colors, colored scents

Roses smell like red, and violets smell like blue: Can flower colors be linked to their scents? In a Mediterranean scrubland, specific combinations of floral...

From forests to streams: How one plant can make a difference

Amur honeysuckle, an invasive plant in the United States, is able to cause drastic changes within invaded ecosystems. Management practices might reduce these...

Explore the best sugar factory: the fruit

The taste of a fruit is largely determined by its sugar composition. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the accumulation of different sugars will...

The intimate relationships between seeds and fungi

More often than previously thought, fungi are able to infect seeds…what are the consequences? Seeds of tropical trees interact with a wide variety of fungal...

Smart plant defense against a stealthy herbivore

A newly discovered protein helps plants to defend themselves against aphids. It restricts these stealthy insects from draining sugar-rich sap from the plant....

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

A recent molecular study of the sweet potato and its wild relatives, the most comprehensive study of this group of plants to date, provides important...

Spicing up restoration: can a dash of pepper powder defend native plants?

New research demonstrates that coating native plant seeds with chili powder can prevent rodent seed predation and improve native plant restoration, while also...

Machine-learning boosts the conservation of endangered plant species

To improve the protection of species, we developed a machine-learning method that lets us successfully identify plant species that are likely at risk. This...

Improving the dietary value of tomatoes with purple plant pigments

Obtaining the right daily amount of fresh food is a challenge in many countries. This study improved the dietary value of tomato, by enhancing the content of a...

How plants protect themselves from salt stress

Salt stress triggers a series of responses in plants that are necessary to resist this life-threatening condition. We found that one of these responses...

High extinction risk for wild coffee species and implications for coffee sector sustainability

Coffee is a globally significant commodity and the source of livliehoods for millions of farmers worldwide. Our coffee crop plants, represent very recent...