Related topics: plants

Building a corn cob—cell by cell, gene by gene

Corn hasn't always been the sweet, juicy delight that we know today. And, without adapting to a rapidly changing climate, it is at risk of losing its place as a food staple. Putting together a plant is a genetic puzzle, with ...

Beating the 'billion-dollar bug' is a shared burden

A lurking threat that has stymied US corn growers for decades is now returning to the forefront: western corn rootworm. Sometimes referred to as the "billion-dollar bug," the species' tiny larvae chew through the roots of ...

Cattle grazing and soybean yields

By late fall, much of the Midwest is a pleasing landscape of dry, harvested corn fields. It makes for a bucolic rural scene on highway drives. But the corn litter that's left over doesn't seem useful, at least to untrained ...

Snakes reveal the origin of skin colours

The skin color of vertebrates depends on chromatophores—cells found in the superficial layers of the epidermis. A team of specialists in genetic determinism and color evolution in reptiles from the University of Geneva ...

Choosing the right cover crop to protect the soil

Farmers around the world are keen to protect their most important asset: their soil. The soil supports and enriches their crops. But the relatively thin layer of topsoil can readily wash away into streams, carrying unwanted ...

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