Plant hormones to help prevent Striga invasion

As part of a multipronged approach to prevent infestations by the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica, researchers are unraveling the role of plant hormones, known as strigolactones (SLs). Their latest research is published ...

An insect pest acquires multiple plant genes

The silverleaf whitefly is a major crop pest in the tropics and subtropics. After studying its genome, an INRAE researcher and a CNRS researcher identified 49 plant genes transferred to the insect's own genome.

Engineering duckweed to produce oil for biofuels, bioproducts

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have engineered duckweed to produce high yields of oil. The team added genes to one of ...

Decoding how bacteria talk with each other

Bacteria, the smallest living organisms in the world, form communities where unified bodies of individuals live together, contribute a share of the property and share common interests.

Plants can measure the intensity of salt stress

Unfavorable environmental conditions represent considerable stress for plants. A high level of salt content (sodium chloride, NaCl) in the soil is just such a stressor that has a negative impact on plants. Salinization is ...

Pretreating soil with ethanol protects plants from drought

Ethanol can help plants survive in times of drought says a new study conducted at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science in Japan. Led by Motoaki Seki, researchers show that adding ethanol to soil allows plants, ...

When mothers shut down the fathers' genes in plant embryos

In humans, and many other species, both genes inherited from the mother and from the father influence how embryos develop. In the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, however, the mother has total control, as researchers from ...

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