A new study combines nanotechnology with urea to make a more efficient nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer.
Plants Can Do Maths: Can We Calculate An Improvement In Food Security?
Investigating the 19th Century Irish Potato Famine with Ancient DNA
Holly and Ivy Too Well Grown: Invasive Holiday Plants in the United States
How Does Pollination Work? Pollen Tubes Play A Key Role
What role does the pollen tube play in pollination, and how does it really work? The Department Molecular Biology, at Brown University, has illuminated the intriguing process of pollination in new research published today in Current Biology.
Talking Trees: How Real Life Ents Cooperate With Each Other
The Ents: they’re walking, talking trees, and they are a figment of Tolkien’s imagination, right? Not quite. Tree species around the world can cooperate via their fungal friends, and they are connected to each other through a complex web of ecological interrelationships that sounds like it has leaped off of the pages of a fantasy […]
Problems of Non-Native Invasive Plant Species
Plants grow naturally within a particular area, or range. Over the centuries, travelers – including specialist botanist and plantsmen – have brought back new and attractive species to their home countries. While some have remained in botanical gardens or cultivated with tender loving care by gardeners, others have adapted rapidly to their new environments – […]
Amorphophallus Titanum, the World’s Smelliest Plant
The rainforest plant Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the titan arum, lays claim to the dubious title of the world’s smelliest plant. But there’s more to it than just the smell of rotting flesh – it also produces what’s probably the world’s largest bloom in a short but spectacular flowering which regularly attracts many curious […]
A Weed No More: The Red Alder Has Nitrogen-Fixing Superpowers
It used to be called a “weed tree” by foresters. Now, the superpowers of the Red Alder (Alnus rubra) are coming to light. Like a pushy neighbor, it moves into areas where it isn’t wanted. Some might call it the forests of straggly red alders pushing up to seek the sun weedy, however, the alder […]
Endosymbiosis in Aphids: Nutrients from Symbiotic Bacteria Help Greenfly Survive on Plant Sap
The humble aphid may appear unremarkable, but it is cleverly adapted to its plant-sucking way of life. Symbiotic bacteria greatly increase the ability of plant lice, also known as greenflies, to grow and reproduce, causing annoyance to gardeners and damage to crops worldwide. Plant Sap Provides Insufficient Nutrients In general, aphids disregard the flowers, fruits […]