Root microbiota is the term for the community of microorganisms living in and around plant roots. The microorganisms making up the root-microbiota include multiple species of bacteria, fungi, and archaea, forming a complex network of interaction with the plant's roots. These interactions could either be... click to read more

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

In biology, life success is based on the ability to have offspring. For that, before reproduction, organisms must deal with different and sometimes unfriendly situations. The capacity to overcome environmental challenges increases the possibility to have descendants, and will determine then that organism's life success. A... 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

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