The nightshades, family Solanaceae, are a diverse group of flowering plants within the order Solanales, encompassing approximately 90–100 genera and 2,500–3,000 species, including both herbaceous and woody forms. Members are characterized by typically alternate leaves, actinomorphic pentamerous flowers, and a superior ovary usually forming berries or capsules. Chemically, Solanaceae are notable for producing a variety of alkaloids, such as tropane, steroidal glycoalkaloids, and nicotine, which often have potent neuroactive or toxic properties. The family includes important model organisms and crops (e.g., Solanum, Capsicum, Nicotiana) widely used in plant genetics, physiology, and metabolic pathway research.
Tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD), caused by begomoviruses, is a global problem in tomato production, affecting yield. While introduction of resistance genes is one of the strategies to control TYLCD, introduction of ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 14, 2026
0
7
Beans of the cacao plant, Theobroma cacao, are used in chocolates, pharmaceuticals and other products, but they're under threat. Increased drought associated with climate change has already begun to stress cacao-growing regions ...
Ecology
Apr 13, 2026
0
10
Nicotine, a potent insecticidal alkaloid unique to the nightshade family, has been employed in agriculture as a pesticide since 1690. It also has therapeutic potential for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2026
0
31
Morning-blooming morning glories and flowers that release fragrance at night seem as if they know the time. A KAIST research team has uncovered, at the molecular level, the workings of a "biological clock" aligned with insect ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2026
0
10
Long before humans cultivated crops or sailed between continents, a group of plant viruses was already evolving among wild plants in Eurasia. According to a new international study published in Plant Disease, the ancestors ...
Evolution
Mar 9, 2026
0
20
Most plants allow fungal microorganisms to enter their root cells and provide them with carbohydrates in exchange for a better supply of nutrients and water. Only leguminous plants like peas, beans, and clover enter into ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 9, 2026
0
29
A research team composed of plant virologists from the Plant Virus Department at Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, the Italian National Research Council and BASF-Nunhems Italy, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 4, 2026
0
50
University of Florida scientists have developed a tomato packed with significantly higher levels of vitamin A, a breakthrough that could help combat one of the world's most widespread nutritional deficiencies. In research ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 26, 2026
0
21
How do evolutionarily conserved pathogen effectors maintain structural stability while engaging diverse host targets? In a new study published in Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions, researchers at the University of Pretoria's ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 25, 2026
0
11
Turfgrass found on golf courses, athletic fields and lawns is susceptible to a fungal pathogen known as dollar spot disease, which is characterized by the appearance of circular spots of dead turf about the size of a silver ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 12, 2026
0
11
