Crop yield in maize influenced by unexpected gene 'moonlighting'

Maize is a staple crop that came from humble beginnings. If you look at its wild ancestor, teosinte, the plant looks nearly unrecognizable. Human selection has persuaded the maize plant to grow in a way that produces higher ...

Biologists study enzymes that help wheat to fight fungi

Scientists from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University together with their Russian colleagues studied the reaction of wheat plants to damage caused by pathogenic fungi. They examined the activation of enzymes ...

Clover improves soil quality, feeds biofuels crop

A four-leaf clover might bring good luck, but a stand of Kura clover can produce healthier soil—in the long run, according to a South Dakota State University study.

Getting yeast to make artificial sweets

The holiday season can be a time of excess, but low- or no-calorie sweeteners could help merry-makers stay trim. Stevia is a zero-calorie sweetener that is sometimes called "natural" because it is extracted from the leaves ...

Steroid synthesis discovery could rewrite the textbooks

Steroids are essential molecules for life in all complex organisms such as animals and plants. Researchers from the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, the University of Technology Sydney Climate Change Cluster and ...

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