229 Articles with the topic: Plant Biology
Are vertical farms the next necessary step in agriculture?
Darkfrog submitted, created time 5 days 21 hours (www.sciam.com)
Scientific American here highlights urban farming. The idea is that we spend all this time, water and energy not only growing and fertilizing plants the old-fashioned way but then transporting the food products all the way from the farms to the cities, where most of the people live and where--by 2050, a whole lot more people are going to live.
The article describes growing fruits and vegetables inside tall glass buildings like some kind of modern-day hanging gardens (I wonder if they give +2 happy faces like in Civilization). We've got construction and glassmaking technology 
Walnut trees emit aspirin-like chemical to deal with stress
sea-maid submitted, created time 2 weeks 2 days (esciencenews.com)
Scientists have known for some time that plants can produce their own stress-killers--aspirin is famously produced in willow and walnut trees--but now they've been able to confirm that these compounds are released into the surrounding atmosphere in significant quantities.
Plants' daily alarm clock discovered
sea-maid submitted, created time 2 weeks 6 days (www.newscientist.com)
A newly discovered family of genes acts as a plant's daily alarm, triggering a growth spurt just before dawn. By tweaking these genes, scientists may one day be able to engineer crops that grow for longer every day to produce bigger yields.
The timing of the growth spurt is known to be choreographed by the plant's circadian clock, which is reset by changes in light at dawn and dusk. The clock dictates when most physiological processes, such as the uptake of water and the breakdown of starch, happen throughout the day
Biotechnology: Can hydrogels solve our water problem?
Darkfrog submitted, created time 3 weeks 3 days (www.nature.com)
I remember reading BIll Bryson's description of a pre-blight American chestnut tree. When he came to the transpiration of water, he said, "imagine how much metal and noise humans would have to use to move that many gallons water."
Well artificial water transport just got a bit quieter, even if it can't match the chestnut just yet. A tiny microtree made from the same type of gel used to make contact lenses has mimicked water transport in plants. Scientists say that it could be used to extract water in dry places or make more efficient cooling systems
Hot peppers really do bring the heat
sea-maid submitted, created time 2 months 7 hours (www.eurekalert.org)
Researchers have found that capsaicin, the active chemical in chili peppers, can induce thermogenesis, the process by which cells convert energy into heat.
Is Smokey the Bear Worsening Global Warming?
sea-maid submitted, created time 2 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
Scientists have long believed that preventing or dousing forest fires helps combat global warming by saving trees and thus allowing forests to take up more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But surprising new data on hundreds of California forest sites suggest the opposite. The work could help quantify the role of forests in the global carbon cycle and shape U.S. federal fire policy.
Small, natural fires thin out shrubs and small trees without killing larger trees. This allows the larger trees, which absorb the most carbon, to flourish without interference
Genetically engineered tobacco plants used to grow anti-lymphoma vaccine
Darkfrog submitted, created time 2 months 1 week (www.sciam.com)
Reports in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences report that an experimental vaccines has triggered the immune systems of eleven (out of sixteen) patients to attack their tumors. The patients are afflicted with what is called follicular B-cell lymphoma. Dangerous side effects? None.
The interesting part? The vaccine was grown courtesy of some genetically engineered tobacco plants.
Of course, all of the patients were also receiving chemotherapy at the time, so it may be difficult to tell which results may be attributed to the vaccine itself
The bright side of biofuels isn't so bright
Darkfrog submitted, created time 2 months 3 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
The argument in favor of biofuels--petroleum-replacement fuels made from plants like corn, soybeans and switchgrass--is that while burning oil releases new carbon into the air, burning biofuels would release only the carbon that the plants had absorbed from the air during their growth cycle. The net effect would be zero.
However, if one looks at the big picture, biofuels lose their luster. Not only has the conversion of food farms to fuel farms driven up food prices worldwide, but in the tropics, farmers are cutting down carbon-absorbing forests for corn plantations
Mars soil capable of sustaining plant life
sea-maid submitted, created time 3 months 1 week (www.latimes.com)
Surprisingly alkaline, the soil on Mars it could support green beans and asparagus, say Phoenix mission scientists, who are "flabbergasted" by the findings.
Dual Functions of the KNOTTED1 Homeodomain
jerry submitted, created time 3 months 2 weeks (stke.sciencemag.org)
This research found KNOTTED1 Homeodomain's dual functions. They are sequence-specific DNA binding and regulation of cell-to-cell transport
Ancient Palm Resurrected from 2000-Year-Old Seed
jerry submitted, created time 3 months 3 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
Scientists have successfully grown a date palm from a 2000-year-old seed dug up from the Judean desert. That makes the seed, whose age has just been verified by radiocarbon dating, the oldest ever to germinate.
Can a Fir Coat Keep a Tree Warm?
marry submitted, created time 3 months 3 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)
An isotopic analysis of wood suggests that firs in northern forests can trap heat and keep their needles warmer than the surrounding air...
The Study of Phloem Development and Structure in Arabidopsis
kavin submitted, created time 4 months 1 day (www.plantcell.org)
Currently, examination of the cellular structure of plant organs and the gene expression therein largely relies on the production of tissue sections. Here, the authors present a staining technique that can be used to image entire plant organs using confocal laser scanning microscopy. This technique produces high-resolution images that allow three-dimensional reconstruction of the cellular organization of plant organs.
kavin submitted, created time 4 months 2 days (web.ebscohost.com)
This experiment was undertaken to assess the advantages of using diallel crosses to define combining ability and understand heterosis in a broad-based wheat-breeding population across different environments affected by yellow rust. This research shows the power of available quantitative breeding tools to help breeders choose parental sources in a population improvement programme.
A Transporter Regulating Silicon Distribution in Rice Shoots
kavin submitted, created time 4 months 4 days (www.plantcell.org)
Rice (Oryza sativa) accumulates very high concentrations of silicon (Si) in the shoots, and the deposition of Si as amorphous silica helps plants to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. In the paper, the authors describe a transporter, Lsi6, which is involved in the distribution of Si in the shoots. The results indicate that Lsi6 is a transporter responsible for the transport of Si out of the xylem and subsequently affects the distribution of Si in the leaf.
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