Eyes in the soil will help food security
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new tool developed by scientists at The University of Manchester will allow farmers to see under the soil to check how efficiently crop roots are using water and nutrients.
View ArticleIgnition for Colombian yucca car
After a three-year slog Colombian scientists have revved up a car that runs on yucca-derived ethanol, spurring hopes that the Latin American staple could be transformed into an abundant fuel.
View ArticleTapping into sorghum's weed-fighting capabilities to give growers more options
By unlocking the genetic secrets of sorghum, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found a way to make one of the world's most important cereal crops a better option for growers....
View ArticleFungi adapted to mines boost plant growth
(PhysOrg.com) -- Repopulating the moon-like terrain around abandoned mines is slow, plodding work, but a new Indiana University Bloomington report in Applied Soil Ecology suggests symbiotic fungi...
View ArticleDairy manure goes urban
When natural ecosystems are replaced by roads, homes, and commercial structures, soil is negatively impacted. Studies have shown that, among other issues, distressed urban soils are often significantly...
View ArticleHerbicide may affect plants thought to be resistant
Purdue University researchers have discovered a fine-tuning mechanism involved in plant root growth that has them questioning whether a popular herbicide may have unintended consequences, causing some...
View ArticleBlossom end rot: Transport protein identified
Poor calcium distribution in agricultural crops causes substantial loss of income every year. Now a Korean-Swiss research team under the co-leadership of plant physiologists at the University of Zurich...
View ArticleImproving crops from the roots up
Research involving scientists at The University of Nottingham has taken us a step closer to breeding hardier crops that can better adapt to different environmental conditions and fight off attack from...
View ArticleStudy finds evidence nanoparticles may increase plant DNA damage
(Phys.org) -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) have provided the first evidence that engineered nanoparticles...
View ArticleHitting back at 'wiretapping' parasite
Dodder vines are parasitic plants that suck water, nutrients and information from other plants as they spread over them. Plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, have now shown that...
View ArticleHow plants sense gravity: A new look at the roles of genetics and the...
Gravity affects the ecology and evolution of every living organism. In plants, the general response to gravity is well known: their roots respond positively, growing down, into the soil, and their...
View ArticleCrop rotation with nematode-resistant wheat can protect tomatoes
In a study published online today in Crop Science, scientists describe a nematode-resistant wheat. But while the wheat carries the resistance to the pest, the benefits are actually seen in the crop...
View ArticleSymbiosis: enforced surrender?
Scientists from INRA and Lorraine University in France unraveled a key mechanism in the symbiosis between fungi and trees. During this mutually beneficial interaction, the fungus takes control of its...
View ArticleX-ray vision puts Nottingham plant and soil sciences on the world stage
A multidisciplinary team of scientists at The University of Nottingham are using some of the most advanced X-ray micro Computed Tomography (CT) scanners to learn how to design plant roots so they can...
View ArticleNew non-destructive device measures root growth in smaller plants
Researchers from North Carolina State University's Department of Horticultural Science recently introduced a new apparatus called the "mini-Horhizotron", a device used to non-destructively measure...
View ArticleGetting to the root of better crops
(Phys.org) —The more crop scientists know about how plant roots take up water and nutrients, the better able they will be to develop crop plants with roots that can cope with challenging soil and...
View ArticleHistoric trees get a second shot at life with cloning efforts
The majestic oak that sits on the corner of Cedar Lane and Palisade Avenue in Teaneck, N.J., is headed for the chopping block, but the historic tree may live on, if experts can manage the tricky feat...
View ArticleGetting to the root of the matter
(Phys.org) —Working to identify key genes in the root development of poplar trees, three Michigan Technological University scientists have come up with a new model for how genes interact and affect...
View ArticleA route for steeper, cheaper, and deeper roots
Plants with thinner roots can grow deeper, a trait which could be exploited in lands affected by drought and nutrient deprivation. New research, to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology...
View ArticleSecret of plant geometry revealed
Researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered how plants set the angles of their branches.
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