News tagged with crop plants

Big pest, small genome: Blueprint of spider mite may yield better pesticides

(PhysOrg.com) -- An international research team decoded the genetic blueprint of the two-spotted spider mite, raising hope for new ways to attack the major pest, which resists pesticides and destroys crops ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Nov 23, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genetic engineers create smarter toxins to help crops fight resistant pests

One of the most successful strategies in pest control is to endow crop plants with genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short, which code for proteins that kill pests attempting to eat ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 09, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 20 | with audio podcast

Potato genome sequenced

The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC), a team of scientists from institutions worldwide, including Virginia Tech, has published its findings in the Sunday July 10 online issue of the journal Nature.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 10, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

At Long Last, How Plants Make Eggs

(PhysOrg.com) -- A long-standing mystery surrounding a fundamental process in plant biology has been solved by a team of scientists at the University of California, Davis.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 04, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 3

Study 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 are ...

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created Apr 18, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (7) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Tackle fungal forces to save crops, forests and endangered animals, scientists say

More than 600 million people could be fed each year by halting the spread of fungal diseases in the world's five most important crops, according to research published today in the journal Nature.

Biology / Ecology

created Apr 11, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Plants can 'remember' drought and change responses to survive

(PhysOrg.com) -- Plants subjected to a previous period of drought learn to deal with the stress thanks to their memories of the experience, new research has found.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Manipulating genes with hidden TALENs

(PhysOrg.com) -- A better understanding of gene function in model plant and animal systems could be used to develop useful traits in livestock and crop plants, and might someday lead to developments in stem ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Feb 13, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Climate-driven heat peaks may shrink wheat crops

More intense heat waves due to global warming could diminish wheat crop yields around the world through premature ageing, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Climate Change.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Jan 29, 2012 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (14) | comments 22

Microbubbles provide new boost for biofuel production

The technique builds on previous research in which microbubbles were used to improve the way algae is cultivated.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Science to help rice growers affected by Japan's tsunami

Under a year since a huge tsunami inundated paddy fields in Japan with salty sludge, scientists are near to developing locally-adapted, salt-tolerant rice. Following a Japan-UK research collaboration, a new ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 22, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

'Rules' may govern genome evolution in young plant species

A new University of Florida study shows a hybrid plant species may experience rapid genome evolution in predictable patterns, meaning evolution repeats itself in populations of independent origin.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 19, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Comparing energy conversion of plants and solar cells

Scientists now have a way to more accurately compare how efficiently plants and photovoltaic, or solar, cells convert sunlight into energy, thanks to findings by a research consortium that included a U.S. ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jan 16, 2012 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Discovery of plant 'nourishing gene' brings hope for increased crop seed yield and food security

University of Warwick scientists have discovered a "nourishing gene" which controls the transfer of nutrients from plant to seed - a significant step which could help increase global food production.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 13, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Chemical signal helps plants control their “breathing”

For most plants, staying alive means adapting quickly to a constantly changing environment. In a drought, staving off water loss is vital. On a sunny day, absorbing carbon dioxide to generate energy through ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 13, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast