Powdery mildew is one of the most dreaded plant diseases: The parasitic fungus afflicts crops such as wheat and barley and is responsible for large harvest shortfalls every year. Beat Keller and Thomas Wicker, both plant ...
Biotechnology
Jul 14, 2013
0
0
By tinkering with a type of fungus that lives in association with plant roots, researchers have found a way to increase the growth of rice by an impressive margin. The so-called mycorrhizal fungi are found in association ...
Biotechnology
Jun 10, 2010
3
0
Many plants and crops rely on insects to pollinate them so they can reproduce. A new study has shown that several flowering plants from the group Euonymus are pollinated by fungus gnats, a dipteran insect. Specifically, they ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 23, 2023
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45
Pests and diseases may reduce global wheat yields by over 20%. A study published April 11th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Sergio Latorre at University College London, U.K., and colleagues suggest that genomic ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 11, 2023
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41
A fungus that plagues rice crops worldwide gains entry to plant cells in a way that leaves it vulnerable to simple chemical blockers, a discovery that could lead to new fungicides to reduce the substantial annual losses of ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 13, 2023
1
82
A fungus that can colonize, or grow within, corn plants doesn't just leave the plant unharmed—it also can help the plant stave off harmful bugs and other fungi, according to a new study by Penn State researchers.
Ecology
Dec 15, 2022
0
222
A University of Maryland researcher and colleagues found that the fungus Metarhizium robertsii removes mercury from the soil around plant roots, and from fresh and saltwater. The researchers also genetically engineered the ...
Ecology
Nov 17, 2022
1
4053
A team of researchers from Wageningen University, working with colleagues from several institutions in Colombia, has found a possible means to confer TR4 fungus resistance to Cavendish bananas. In their study, published on ...
Insects are known to rely on microbial protection during immobile developmental stages, such as eggs. But despite the susceptibility of pupae to antagonistic challenges, the role of microbes in ensuring defense during an ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 19, 2022
0
66
The fungus Ustilago maydis attacks corn and can cause significant damage to its host. To do this, it first ensures that the plant offers little resistance to the infection. The surgical precision it applies is shown by a ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 10, 2022
0
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