A Boyce Thompson Institute-led team has identified genes enabling peaches and their wild relatives to tolerate stressful conditions—findings that could help the domesticated peach adapt to climate change.
Ecology
Mar 9, 2021
0
7
Thousands of years ago, people in South America began domesticating Solanum pimpinellifolium, a weedy plant with small, intensely flavored fruit. Over time, the plant evolved into S. lycopersicum—the modern cultivated tomato.
Ecology
Dec 1, 2020
1
805
The fabled Silk Road—the 4,000-mile stretch between China and Western Europe where trade flourished from the second century B.C. to the 14th century A.D. - is responsible for one of our favorite and most valuable fruits: ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 2, 2020
0
80
Bacterial speck disease, which reduces both fruit yield and quality, has been a growing problem in tomatoes over the last five years. Because the culpable bacterium, Pseudomonas syringae, prefers a cool and wet climate, crops ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2020
0
10
Citrus greening disease, also called huanglongbing (HLB), is a bacterial infection of citrus trees that results in small, misshapen and sour fruits that are unsuitable for consumption, ultimately killing the tree. Because ...
Biotechnology
Apr 28, 2020
0
5
Some 500 million years ago—when our continents were likely connected in a single land mass and most life existed underwater—hornworts were one of the first groups of plants to colonize land. But biologists have never ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 13, 2020
0
390
Nearly everyone on Earth is familiar with corn. Literally.
Biotechnology
Jan 29, 2020
0
6
Nematodes are tiny, ubiquitous roundworms that infect plant roots, causing more than $100 billion in crop damage worldwide each year. New research has found that plants manipulate the worms' pheromones to repel infestations, ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 10, 2020
0
1201
When many people think of watermelon, they likely think of Citrullus lanatus, the cultivated watermelon with sweet, juicy red fruit enjoyed around the world as a dessert. Indeed, watermelon is one of the world's most popular ...
Biotechnology
Nov 1, 2019
0
292
Over-fertilization of agricultural fields is a huge environmental problem. Excess phosphorus from fertilized cropland frequently finds its way into nearby rivers and lakes. A resulting boom of aquatic plant growth can cause ...
Biotechnology
Sep 2, 2019
0
247
