Tomato, tomat-oh!—understanding evolution to reduce pesticide use
Although pesticides are a standard part of crop production, Michigan State University researchers believe pesticide use could be reduced by taking cues from wild plants.
Although pesticides are a standard part of crop production, Michigan State University researchers believe pesticide use could be reduced by taking cues from wild plants.
Evolution
Apr 24, 2019
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86
Crops such as wheat and maize have undergone a breeding process lasting thousands of years, in the course of which mankind has gradually modified the properties of wild plants into highly cultivated variants. One motive was ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 2, 2018
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155
Plant scientists at the University of Cambridge have found that the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) alters gene expression in the tomato plants it infects, causing changes to air-borne chemicals - the scent - emitted by the plants. ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 11, 2016
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26
On Charles Darwin's 207th birthday, a new study of evolution in a diverse group of wild tomatoes is shedding light on the importance of genetic variation in plants.
Evolution
Feb 12, 2016
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1264
Many New York tomato growers are familiar with the scourge of bacterial canker—the wilted leaves and blistered fruit that can spoil an entire season's planting. For those whose livelihoods depend on tomatoes, this pathogen—Clavibacter ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 27, 2020
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54
Climate change is increasing both the severity and frequency of extreme weather events, including floods. That's a problem for many farmers, since rice is the only major food crop that's resilient to flooding. A new study, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 27, 2019
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10
Hybrid seeds have dramatically boosted yield for industrial scale crops such as corn, alfalfa and wheat. But for backyard tomato growers, sometimes the fruits of their labor can lie fallow as interbreeding among species of ...
Biotechnology
Sep 6, 2016
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19
Bacterial canker of tomato is a disease that leads to wilt, cankers, and eventually death. The disease was first discovered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1909, but annual outbreaks now affect tomato production areas worldwide. ...
Biotechnology
Apr 7, 2020
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8
Wild tomatoes are better able to protect themselves against the destructive whitefly than our modern, commercial varieties, new research has shown.
Biotechnology
Feb 9, 2016
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13