Writing this week (Oct. 9, 2017) in the journal New Phytologist, University of Wisconsin–Madison Professor of Botany Hiroshi Maeda and his colleagues describe an ancient loosening up of a key biochemical pathway that set the stage for the ancestors of beets to develop their characteristic red pigment.
Genome-wide rice studies yield first major, large-scale collection of mutations for grass model crops, vital to boosting biofuel production.
UF scientists synthesized and examined data from prior studies that had looked at how many pathogen-carrying mosquito species made their homes in forested lands vs. non-forested lands in 12 countries worldwide, including the United States.
A study of 300,000 children in 35 nations says kids whose watersheds have greater tree cover are less likely to experience diarrheal disease, the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five.
When rampant white-tailed deer graze in forests, they prefer to eat native plants over certain unpalatable invasive plants, such as garlic mustard and Japanese stiltgrass. These eating habits lower native plant diversity and abundance, while increasing the proportion of plant communities made up of non-native species, according to a new study.
An international team including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers analyzed the genome sequence of the common liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha) to identify genes and gene families deemed crucial to plant evolution and have been conserved over millions of years and across plant lineages.
Ice storms can have devastating results for trees in forests, too. New research studied the effects of lab-created ice storms on forest ecosystems. The “Why Ice Storms Aren’t Cool” presentation at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Soils keep plants healthy by providing plants with water, helpful minerals, and microbes, among other benefits. But what if the soil also contains toxic elements, such as cadmium? The solution goes back to the soil. Researchers are investigating which soil additives work best.
The Iowa State University Prairie STRIPS project has found the strategic use of native prairie plants among agricultural fields yields a wide range of environmental benefits, including erosion and runoff reduction and increased wildlife habitat. The findings, published this week, draw on 10 years of data and cover dozens of environmental metrics.
Basement walls crack for a variety of reasons. The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) October 1 Soils Matter blog post explains how they form—and which ones to be wary of.
A team of researchers at the universities of Florida and Wisconsin-Madison will use the grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to pinpoint genes that could improve plants’ ability to access nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth.
This project aims to deliver stress-tolerant sorghum lines, addressing DOE's mission in the generation of renewable energy resources.
Every year around this time, nature puts her greens to bed and awakens her autumn colors. That palette of reds, yellows and oranges painting the landscape is part of a very important ecological process.
Organic matter in soil is an important component of soil health. And nematodes are a sentinel organism to flag it. The “Nematode Community Succession: Decomposition Hot Spots” presentation at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) biologically filter the water flowing into the Everglades' protected area, reduce phosphorus and improve the ecosystem services of the soil and plant life. The “Soil Processes and Performance in Constructed Wetlands” symposium at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Soil fungi that help promote drought tolerance in pinyon pine (Pinus edulis), a dominant tree in the Southwest, are passed from mother trees to their offspring, according to research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Citrus greening is a major challenge for Florida growers. The “Influence of Foliar Copper Application Rate on Copper, Potassium and Zinc Concentrations in Soil and Citrus Tissues” presentation at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
A planting design that outwitted a weevil in Texas citrus groves has yielded numerous other benefits for growers and brought better quality oranges and grapefruits to consumers, experts say.
Eat too much without exercising and you'll probably put on a few pounds. As it turns out, plant leaves do something similar. In a new study at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists show that retaining sugars in plant leaves can make them get fat too. In plants, this extra fat accumulation could be a good thing.
Protein malnutrition can be caused by low soil fertility, which in turn reduces yields. Food security hinges on this issue. The “Building Institutional Capacity in Tropical Legumes” symposium planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Wetlands, including the Everglades, are important to the health of the environment. Restoring their ability to process water is the topic of several talks at a scientific meeting.
In a new study, scientists report significant strides in transferring disease- and stress-resistance traits from wild relatives of several legumes to their domesticated varieties.
ho knew that it’s possible to predict the fragrance of a flower by looking at its color? This is true for many of the 41 insect-pollinated plant species growing in a Phrygana scrubland habitat on the Greek island of Lesbos. An international research team published their findings Sept. 4 in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Researchers and Extension faculty suggest resetting uprooted palms and trees only after they have been examined for safety and deemed worthy of replanting. For hardwood trees, if a majority of major anchor roots have been fractured, it is unlikely that such trees will successfully reestablish themselves, and they will likely fail in future storms. Uprooted trees and palms in good condition should be replanted as soon as possible and watered frequently.
Cornell University scientists in partnership with state agencies identified oak wilt, a devastating pathogenic fungus that kills oak trees, in six new locations throughout New York state: four towns on Long Island, Brooklyn and Canandaigua.
The installation of natural gas wells requires soil reclamation efforts after installation. These efforts are often hindered by salt-affected soils, weed invasions and slow plant establishment. The “Soil Changes Before, During, and After Natural Gas Drilling” presentation planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Searching for water, some tree roots probe hundreds of feet deep and many trees send roots through cracks in rocks, according to a new study led by a Rutgers University-New Brunswick professor. Moreover, the depth of plant roots, which varies between species and soil conditions, will play a key role in plants’ adaptation to climate change, said Ying Fan Reinfelder, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Department of Environmental Sciences.
Some of the world’s most beloved plants — coffee, bananas, potatoes, chrysanthemums and roses, to name a few — could be made even better, but the complexity of their chromosomes either stumps or stifles scientists who study them. A meeting has been set for San Diego in January to start to address that issue.
An international consortium under the lead of the non-profit organization "International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics" (ICRISAT) and participation of a research team around the system biologist Wolfram Weckwerth has published the genome sequence of Pearl millet, a drought resistant crop plant most important in aride regions in Africa and Asia. This so-called C4 plant is especially important to small and medium farmers who grow the plant without larger irrigation. Pearl millet delivers a good harvest index under drought and heat conditions when rice, maize or wheat already have no grains anymore.
Changing tillage practices can help the environment and reduce costs, according to a study in Montana.
The Nature Conservancy and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)—collectively known as the TriSocieties—today announced a new partnership to advance the science of soil health.
Specific modifications to fungi DNA may hold the secret to turning common plant degradation agents into biofuel producers.
Contemporary plant breeding requires teams of scientists with expertise in genetics, phenotyping, and statistics. The “Plant Breeding in the 21st Century” presentation planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
The International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research announced today that Colorado State University has joined the organization as a sponsoring partner.
University of Colorado Boulder researchers and collaborating institutions have been awarded $2.9 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create a comprehensive digital archive of over 1.7 million plant specimens native to the southern Rocky Mountain region.
Cms1 CRISPR Nuclease Available to Partners to Drive Crop Improvement
In climate change scenarios, abiotic stresses, such as drought and heat stress, become intensified, leading to severe crop loss. The “Physiological Traits for High Throughput Phenotyping of Abiotic Stress Tolerance” symposium planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Seven-year-study shows plant growth does not sustainably balance carbon losses from solar warming and permafrost thaw.
Most people are familiar with antibiotic resistant bacteria – and the same has happened with herbicides. Decades of research has shown that resistant weed varieties have adapted, and other weed-control tools will be necessary. The “Future of Weed Science: Thinking Beyond Herbicides in the Agricultural Landscape” symposium planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Hidden in plain sight – that’s how researchers describe their discovery of a new genus of large forest tree commonly found, yet previously scientifically unknown, in the tropical Andes. Researchers from the Smithsonian and Wake Forest University detailed their findings in a study just released the journal PhytoKeys.
Scat-sniffing research dogs are helping scientists map out a plan to save reclusive jaguars, pumas, bush dogs and other endangered carnivores in the increasingly fragmented forests of northeastern Argentina, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis.Published Aug. 25 in the online journal PLoS ONE, the study explores options for mitigating the impact of human encroachment on five predators who cling to survival in isolated pockets of protected forest surrounded by a mosaic of roadways, unprotected forest, plantations and pastures.
4R nutrient stewardship is an agricultural industry guideline that refers to “right source, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place.The “Lab to Field: CCA 4R Nutrient Management and Soil Health Working Together” symposium planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL will cover this important topic.
Studies examining whether invasive species outcompete native species may reflect bias of researchers. However, rigorous scientific debate and self-criticism may result in self-correction.
In 1849, the Board of Regents of the new University of Wisconsin directed the curation of the state’s plants, animals and minerals in a “cabinet of natural history.” Now, that founding piece of scientific inquiry is re-forming — digitally. A new initiative will centralize the databases of the university’s five natural history museums, which have separated over the decades to specialize and accommodate growing collections.
Traditional ways of analyzing soil texture are slow. Danish researchers have shown a new, high-tech method that is fast, cost-effective, and portable. This technique could make it much easier to understand the soil texture of a particular area—or even large areas across the globe.
Northern China’s roadsides are peppered with deciduous phoenix trees, producing an abundance of fallen leaves in autumn. These leaves are generally burned in the colder season, exacerbating the country’s air pollution problem. Investigators in Shandong, China, recently discovered a new method to convert this organic waste matter into a porous carbon material that can be used to produce high-tech electronics. The advance is reported in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.
Soils can be extraordinarily biodiverse and differ widely in the kinds of microbial communities that inhabit them. Without a vibrant soil microbial community, humans would not be able to depend on soil for food and other ecosystem services. The “Life Underground: Who, Where, Why?” lecture planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
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