Botany News

January 15, 2016

Widespread Tree Death in Southwest Forests?

Extinction of Large Animals May Worsen Climate

Plants Crawled Onto Land Earlier Than Thought

Recent Shift in How Species Associate

Latest Headlines

updated 8:53am EST

Ancient Going on Nouveau: Old World Grains Make a Comeback

Jan. 13, 2016 — Discerning consumers are seeking out alternatives to basic white bread. They are turning to Old World grains like spelt, emmer, and einkorn. However, reviving ancient grains ... read more

Taoyuan No. 3: New High-Yield Lettuce for Subtropical Regions

Jan. 13, 2016 — A new high-yielding lettuce cultivar for subtropical regions was developed by introducing the high growth rate trait from romaine lettuce 'Jhih Li Wo' into high-yielding Batavia lettuce 'Fu San'. ... read more

De-Mystifying the Study of Volatile Organic Plant Compounds

Jan. 13, 2016 — Plant volatile organic compounds are elusive and influential chemicals that are an essential part of how plants react with their environment and that also affect Earth's ... read more

Modifying the Structure of Wood Alters Plant Microbiome

Jan. 13, 2016 — Modifying the structure of poplar wood can also alter the endosphere microbiome, the bacteria that reside inside tree tissue, new research shows. In this study, the ... read more

Screening Technique to Reinforce Fight Against Ash Dieback

Jan. 13, 2016 — A pioneering study opens up a new front in the battle against a disease affecting ash trees across Europe. The research identified genetic markers to predict whether specific trees in populations of ... read more

Acidification Affects the Ability of Bacteria to Clean Our Oceans

Jan. 12, 2016 — Marine bacteria are heavily influenced by the ongoing ocean acidification caused by human emissions of carbon ... read more

Newly Identified Enzyme May Be the Culprit in Pierce's Disease Grapevine Damage

Jan. 12, 2016 — A newly identified enzyme appears to play a key role in transmitting Pierce's disease from insects to grapevines. The ... read more

Researchers Film Beautiful Flower Formations Inside Artificial Cell Membranes

Jan. 11, 2016 — Every day all over the world, researchers work with artificial cell membranes. Despite the fact that they are so widely used, they still hold ... read more

Second-Generation Biofuels Can Reduce Emissions

Jan. 11, 2016 — Second-generation biofuel crops like the perennial grasses Miscanthus and switchgrass can efficiently meet emission reduction goals without significantly displacing cropland used for food production, ... read more

In Rainforests, Battle for Sunlight Shapes Forest Structure

Jan. 7, 2016 — Competition for sunlight among rainforest trees leads to the remarkably consistent pattern of tree sizes seen in tropical forests around the globe, researchers have found. ... read more

Growing Vegetables Via Smartphone

Raw: Elephants Munch On Old Christmas Trees

Algae May Be To Blame For Memory Loss In Sea Lions

If The Oceans Keep Heating Up, Ocean Life Could Stop Making Oxygen

Drip Irrigation Rates Tested for Eggplant Growth, Yield

Jan. 11, 2016 — Experiments assessed the effects of irrigation rate on plant growth and fruit yield in eggplant. Plants irrigated at 67 percent ETc produced fruit yields similar to those of plants irrigated at 100 ... read more

Digital Imagery Useful for Pyrethrum Analysis

Jan. 11, 2016 — Using digital image analysis, scientists developed a rapid, nondestructive method for determining pyrethrum flower number. The utility of using this approach for biomass assessment in pyrethrum is ... read more

Deep Ties Between Diverse Tropical Rainforests Revealed

Jan. 7, 2016 — Researchers report striking new findings about the structure of tropical rainforests and how the trees in them interact with one another. Their study suggests important new recommendations for how ... read more

Trees Employ Similar Strategies to Outcompete Their Neighbors

Jan. 7, 2016 — Trees worldwide compete in some of the same ways, making simpler models of forest response to climate change possible, say researchers. The study demonstrated how 'personal' traits such as ... read more

One Crop, Two Ways, Multiple Benefits

Jan. 6, 2016 — Recently published research demonstrates the effects of using faba beans in two different ways to increase soil health in Canadian soils. This research has multiple benefits: saving money on the cost ... read more

Purple Limes, Blood Oranges Could Be Next for Florida Citrus

Jan. 6, 2016 — Scientists are developing genetically engineered limes containing anthocyanin, which are beneficial bioflavonoids that have numerous roles in human well-being, including treating obesity and ... read more

Leaf-Mimicking Device Harnesses Light to Purify Water

Jan. 6, 2016 — For years, scientists have been pursuing ways to imitate a leaf's photosynthetic power to make hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight. In a new twist, a team has come up with another kind of ... read more

Dandelion Uses Latex to Protect Its Roots Against Insect Feeding

Jan. 5, 2016 — Dandelions are troublesome weeds that are detested by most gardeners. Yet dandelions also have many insect enemies in nature. However, they can protect themselves with their latex, a milky, ... read more

Kaolin Effectively Controls Whitefly in Beans

Jan. 5, 2016 — Scientists determined the influence of kaolin on development of populations of whitefly in greenhouses, and its effect on the physiological characteristics of bean crops. Results showed a high ... read more

How to Train Your Bacterium

Jan. 4, 2016 — Researchers are using the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica to perform photosynthesis and also to synthesize semiconductor nanoparticles in a hybrid artificial photosynthesis system for converting ... read more

Peering Into the Amazon's Future

Jan. 4, 2016 — A new model, based on the effect of water stress on individual trees, suggests the change in the Amazon due to climate change would be a gradual transition from high-biomass forests to low-biomass ... read more

A Far from Perfect Host

Jan. 4, 2016 — An ancient symbiosis is founded entirely on exploitation, not mutual benefit, new research suggests. The researchers concluded that a single-celled protozoa called Paramecium bursaria benefits from ... read more

Preferences for Changing Landscape Color, Complexity Determined

Dec. 28, 2015 — The relationship between landscape color changes, landscape complexity, and peoples' visual preference ratings were studied using photographs of landscapes captured during four seasons. Results ... read more

Here Comes the Sun: Cellular Sensor Helps Plants Find Light

Dec. 25, 2015 — Salk discovery of novel plant growth pathway could be a boon to ... read more

Tree Characteristics Determine Competition Amongst Forest Trees

Dec. 23, 2015 — Three functional traits – wood density, specific leaf area and maximum height – affect competition in predictable ways across all forested biomes worldwide, new research ... read more

Philippine Coastal Zone Research Reveals Tropical Cyclone Disruption of Nutrient Cycling

Dec. 23, 2015 — The influence of Typhoon Haiyan damage on leaf nutrient traits in coastal habitats is explored by researchers in a new study. Their publication illuminates several ways in which a tropical cyclone ... read more

Metabolic Pathway in Cyanobacteria Could Yield Better Biofuels, Bioproducts from Photosynthesis

Dec. 22, 2015 — A metabolic pathway previously only suggested to be functional in photosynthetic organisms is actually a major pathway and can enable efficient conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds, ... read more

Fighting Rice Fungus

Dec. 22, 2015 — Plant scientists are uncovering more clues critical to disarming a fungus that leads to rice blast disease and devastating crop losses. They have identified a stress hormone that appears to play a ... read more

Botanical Big Data Helping to Predict How Plant Species Will React to Environmental Change

Dec. 21, 2015 — Scientists are using a 'botanical big data' approach to predict how different plant species will respond to human-induced disturbances and environmental change in different ecosystems ... read more

Container-Grown Conifers Benefit from Irrigation Based on Daily Water Use

Dec. 21, 2015 — Scientists quantified irrigation volume, runoff volume and nutrient content, and plant growth of container-grown conifers irrigated based on plant daily water use (DWU) vs. a standard irrigation ... read more

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