News tagged with seed plants

The gene that boosts sugar beet yields

A European team of researchers has discovered a gene with the potential to increase sugar beet yields. Presented in the journal Current Biology, the findings of the study show how the long-sought bolting gene B ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 22, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Is it ripe? Carbon nanotube-based ethylene sensor establishes fruit ripeness

(Phys.org) -- The term ethylene (ethene) generally brings to mind polyethylene plastics, not fruit. However, ethylene is more than just a feedstock for chemical industry, it is also the smallest plant hormone, ...

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created May 19, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Tiny plants could cut costs, shrink environmental footprint

Tall, waving corn fields that line Midwestern roads may one day be replaced by dwarfed versions that require less water, fertilizer and other inputs, thanks to a fungicide commonly used on golf courses.

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Researchers plan to double biofuel yield from a non-food oil seed crop

One of the most promising avenues for reducing our national dependence on imported oil, lowering greenhouse gases and boosting domestic fuel production is biofuel from non-food plant seed oils. Recently, a University of Massachusetts ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 08, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Drought-resistant Argentine soy raises hopes, concerns

Researchers in Argentina have isolated a drought-resistant sunflower gene and spliced it into soy, bolstering hopes for improved yields as the South American agricultural powerhouse grapples with global warming.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 27, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs: research

Seed size is controlled by small RNA molecules inherited from a plant's mother, a discovery from scientists at The University of Texas at Austin that has implications for agriculture and understanding plant ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 11, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers find protein to up yield from oilseed crops

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Montana State University have developed a protein that can be expressed in oilseed crops to increase the oil yield by as much as 40 percent, a development that could have an impact on the biodiesel ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Mar 26, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Not just for the birds: Man-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too

A growing body of research shows that birds and other animals change their behavior in response to manmade noise, such as the din of traffic or the hum of machinery. But human clamor doesn't just affect animals. ...

Biology / Ecology

created Mar 20, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Research team shows people are carrying invasive seeds to Antarctica

(PhysOrg.com) -- When thinking of invasive plants taking hold in a new environment, not many people would think of Antarctica; it’s cold and hostile and there aren’t many types of plants that could ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Mar 06, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast report

Steroids control gas exchange in plants

Plants leaves are sealed with a gas-tight wax layer to prevent water loss. Plants breathe through microscopic pores called stomata (Greek for mouths) on the surfaces of leaves. Over 40% of the carbon dioxide, CO2, in the ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Feb 05, 2012 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genetics of Arctic plants under serious threat from climate change, study says

A new EU study by a team of Austrian, French and Norwegian researchers has found that rising temperatures as a result of climate change will have differing genetic consequences within single Arctic plant species. ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jan 30, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Fungi-filled forests are critical for endangered orchids

When it comes to conserving the world's orchids, not all forests are equal. In a paper to be published Jan. 25 in the journal Molecular Ecology, Smithsonian ecologists revealed that an orchid's fate hinges ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sweeten up your profits with the right hybrid

New University of Illinois sweet corn research shows that higher yield and profitability are possible with greater plant populations of certain hybrids.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

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

Grain crops with lower carotene levels are less affected by parasitic plants

Grain crops that produce less carotene can produce more food, especially in Africa, as they are less affected by parasitic plants. This is the result of research with which Muhammad Jamil hopes to obtain his ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast