The evolution of the mustards' spice

The tangy taste a mustard plant develops to discourage insect predators can be the difference between life and death for the plants. A new study has used this trait and its regional variations to conquer the difficult task ...

Stunting plants' skyward reach could lead to improved yields

In the forest's fight for survival, it's the tallest trees that prevail by reaching for sunlight and shading competition. Corn and other plants, too, divert precious energy to grow higher when nearby plants start to encroach.

Garlic mustard populations likely to decline

Invasive plants are often characterized as highly aggressive, possessing the power to alter and even irreversibly change the ecosystems they invade. But a recent University of Illinois study shows that one such invader, garlic ...

Midget plant gets makeover

A tiny plant with a long name (Arabidopsis thaliana) helps researchers from over 120 countries learn how to design new crops to help meet increasing demands for food, biofuels, industrial materials, and new medicines. The ...

Immune defense revs for morning attack

(PhysOrg.com) -- Timing is everything in the long-standing arms race between the flowering plant Arabidopsis and its pathogen, Hyaloperonospora, a downy mildew.

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