Subject
54 articles
Cassava is an important food crop in sub-Saharan Africa, but contains relatively small amounts of essential vitamins and minerals. The addition of just two...
We have learned how the wheat crop has changed through time, thousands of years back to when it was a wild grass. Equipped with this new knowledge, wheat...
Modern tomatoes are very different from the original tomatoes from South America. Breeding has caused the loss of many essential genes, including those for...
How many times have you enjoyed sweet, healthy almonds and, suddenly, all this sweetness became erased by a taste of a single bitter one? Almond genome has...
During domestication humans select and maintain plants that have higher yield and better quality. Until recently, we were unaware of the genetic causes...
Hidden from the eye, plant roots interact with a diverse community of microorganisms living around them. These interactions can have a considerable effect on...
From flowers to leaves and carnivorous plant traps, humble mounds of cells generate remarkably diverse plant organ shapes. How do plants coordinate growth to...
Have you ever had an aquarium with plants and failed to make it flourish? In this recent study published in Science, we show that the mineral composition of...
Plants need gravity as a constant landmark for shoots to grow upward and roots downward. We have identified a novel mechanism allowing plants to partially defy...
A continuous protective cuticle formed around the embryo is a prerequisite for plant survival in dry environment. We show that a molecular dialogue between the...
We have genetically engineered tobacco plants capable of producing their own light, a phenomenon never described in any plants in nature. In addition to its...
Until recently, scientists thought that the growth of plant cells is driven by pressure on their rigid cell walls. Using new nanoimaging technology we show...
The plant catmint can send your cat into a state of frenzy. It generates a cat-tempting chemical, unlike other members of the mint family. This study has...
Authorities have promoted conservation agriculture as a panacea for sustainable intensification of food production in Africa. Yet, claims that it increases...
Stings from Australia’s Dendrocnide species of plants cause pain lasting for months. In a new study, Gilding and colleagues have now found out how – these...
Compacted, hard soil is a major threat to modern farming as it blocks plant roots growth and restricts water and nutrient acquisition. Engineered crop roots...
Human-induced (anthropogenic) climate change is exposing forests to a growing risk of drought-induced tree mortality. Replacement patterns following drought...
Crop diseases are currently on the rise worldwide due to changes in global climate and farming techniques. We have discovered what is hidden in the cereal...
Fig trees (Ficus carica) produce furanocoumarins, a class of small organic molecules with various medicinal and agricultural applications. Villard et al....
Each leaf of the carnivorous Venus flytrap plant ends in a jaw-like trap which imprisons unsuspecting insect prey. The traps are electrically active and...
We have seen in recent years a massive leap forward in plant genetic engineering which holds great promise for future plant breeding. However, the genes that...
Do plants have a memory? Surprisingly enough, they do. But this is not the type of memory that we share. In plants, it serves more as a tool for survival when...
The common perception of cacti as heat- and drought-loving desert plants causes climate change to be overlooked as a potential threat to their conservation....
Usually, we identify plants by their showy and delicate flowers. Because flowers are selected to be more attractive compared with leaves, stems, or the hidden...
