ScienceDaily: Seed News

Helping forests gain ground on climate change

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:50:50 EDT

Researchers in Canada have developed guidelines being used by foresters and the timber industry to get a jump on climate change when planting trees.

New non-GM technology platform for genetic improvement of sunflower oilseed crop

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:32:32 EDT

Scientists have developed techniques for the genetic improvement of sunflowers using a non-GMO based approach. The new technology platform can harness the plant’s own genes to improve characteristics of sunflower, develop genetic traits, which will improve its role as an important oilseed crop.

Sacred lotus genome sequence enlightens scientists

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:02:02 EDT

The sacred lotus is a symbol of spiritual purity and longevity. Its seeds can survive up to 1,300 years, its petals and leaves repel grime and water, and its flowers generate heat to attract pollinators. Now researchers report that they have sequenced the lotus genome. Of all the plants sequenced so far -- and there are dozens -- sacred lotus bears the closest resemblance to the ancestor of all eudicots, a broad category of flowering plants that includes apple, cabbage, cactus, coffee and tobacco.

Plants 'talk' to plants to help them grow

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:08:08 EDT

Having a neighborly chat improves seed germination, finds new research. Even when other known means of communication, such as contact, chemical and light-mediated signals, are blocked, chilli seeds grow better when grown with basil plants. This suggests that plants are talking via nanomechanical vibrations.

Soil may harbor answer to reducing arsenic in rice

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:44:44 EDT

Agricultural researchers are studying whether a naturally occurring soil bacterium, referred to as UD1023, can create an iron barrier in rice roots that reduces arsenic uptake.

Smoke signals: How burning plants tell seeds to rise from the ashes

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:59:59 EDT

In the spring following a forest fire, trees that survived the blaze explode in new growth and plants sprout in abundance from the scorched earth. For centuries, it was a mystery how seeds, some long dormant in the soil, knew to push through the ashes to regenerate the burned forest.

U. S. has surprisingly large reservoir of crop plant diversity

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:35:35 EDT

North America isn’t known as a hotspot for crop plant diversity, yet a new inventory has uncovered nearly 4,600 wild relatives of crop plants in the United States, including close relatives of globally important food crops such as sunflower, bean, sweet potato, and strawberry.

New excavations in Sweden indicate use of fertilizers 5,000 years ago

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:48:48 EDT

Researchers have spent many years studying the remains of a Stone Age community in Karleby outside the town of Falköping, Sweden. The researchers have for example tried to identify parts of the inhabitants' diet. Right now they are looking for evidence that fertilizers were used already during the Scandinavian Stone Age, and the results of their first analyses may be exactly what they are looking for.

Just what makes that little old ant… change a flower's nectar content?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:52:52 EDT

Ants play a variety of important roles in many ecosystems. As frequent visitors to flowers, they can benefit plants in their role as pollinators when they forage on sugar-rich nectar. However, a new study reveals that this mutualistic relationship may actually have some hidden costs.

Weeding out ineffective biocontrol agents

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:44:44 EDT

Biocontrol programs use an invasive plant's natural enemies (insects and pathogens) to reduce its population. Most biocontrol programs combine many different enemies. Some combinations of enemy species can actually end up competing or interfering with each other, instead of attacking the weed.

Hydrogen sulfide greatly enhances plant growth: Key ingredient in mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:55:55 EDT

In low doses, hydrogen sulfide, a substance implicated in several mass extinctions, could greatly enhance plant growth, leading to a sharp increase in global food supplies and plentiful stock for biofuel production, new research shows.

Metabolic fingerprinting: Using proteomics to identify proteins in gymnosperm pollination drops

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:15:15 EDT

Proteomics is a powerful technique for examining the structure and function of the proteome. Proteomics can uncover the relationship between DNA, RNA, and the production of proteins -- enabling the comparison of the genome to the proteome. For organisms that have not yet been sequenced, proteomics facilitates the discovery and identification of proteins. A new study demonstrates the suitability of proteomics in determining the composition of gymnosperm pollination drops.

Seeds of model cereal plant now available

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:42:42 EDT

Seeds of the model cereal plant Brachypodium distachyon are now available to the international scientific community.

New 'dual resistant' tomatoes fight lethal pests with one-two punch

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:23:23 EDT

In the battle against thrips, breeders have developed a new weapon: a tomato that packs a powerful one-two punch to deter the pests and counter the killer viruses they transmit.

Gene discovery may yield lettuce that will sprout in hot weather

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:53:53 EDT

Plant scientists have identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather -- a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.

Novel way plants pass traits to next generation: Inheritance behavior in corn breaks accepted rules of genetics

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:20:20 EDT

New research explains how certain traits can pass down from one generation to the next – at least in plants – without following the accepted rules of genetics.

Ants rise with temperature

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:15:15 EDT

Aphaenogaster genera are abundant woodland ants that disperse most spring flower seeds. This research shows how rising minimum temperatures affect cold- and warm-adapted ants. Warming minimum temperatures allow warm-adapted ants to migrate up the mountains, replacing cold-adapted ants.

Strong anti-cancer properties discovered in soybeans

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:50:50 EDT

Proteins found in soybeans could inhibit the growth of colon, liver and lung cancers. Soybean meal is a bi-product following oil extraction from soybean seeds. It is rich in protein, which usually makes up around 40% of the nutritional components of the seeds and dependent on the line, and can also contain high oleic acid (a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid).

Hunting for meat impacts on rainforest, fruit tree seed dispersal

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:48:48 EDT

Hunting for meat in the African rainforests has halved the number of primates. However, the hunting also has other negative consequences. The decline in the number of primates causes a reduction in the dispersal of seed by the primates, and this leads to a reduction in the numbers of important fruit trees and changes to the rainforest.

New insights into plant evolution

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:33:33 EST

New research has uncovered a mechanism that regulates the reproduction of plants, providing a possible tool for engineering higher yielding crops.

Loss of wild insects hurts crops around the world

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:56:56 EST

Researchers studying data from 600 fields in 20 countries have found that managed honey bees are not as successful at pollinating crops as wild insects, primarily wild bees, suggesting the continuing loss of wild insects in many agricultural landscapes has negative consequences for crop harvests.

Grape seed and skin extract: A weapon in the fight against kidney disease caused by high-fat diets

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:46:46 EST

New insight into grape seed extract as a therapeutic and preventative measure to fight obesity-induced kidney damage is presented in a new study. Grape seed and skin extract (GSSE) is known to contain powerful antioxidants. This study is the first to make a link between GSSEs and high-fat-diet-induced renal disease.

'Fat worms' inch scientists toward better biofuel production

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:21:21 EST

Fat worms confirm that researchers have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves -- a feat that could enhance biofuel production as well as lead to improved animal feeds.

'Growing' medicines in plants requires new regulations, experts say

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:12:12 EST

Scientists say amending an EU directive on GMOs could help stimulate innovation in making vaccines, cheaper pharmaceuticals and organic plastics using plants.

Wild plants are infected with many viruses and still thrive

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:47:47 EST

Researchers have studied viruses as agents of disease in humans, domestic animals and plants, but a study of plant viruses in the wild may point to a more cooperative, benevolent role of the microbe, according to a virologist.

Next generation soybean breeding: The potential of spectral analysis

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:26:26 EST

Spectral analysis, a method of analyzing the electromagnetic radiation coming from plants and other objects, is being used by researchers to determine the level of photosynthetic activity of vegetation in many different situations.

Reproductive workings of a harvester ant dynasty

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:46:46 EST

For the first time, scientists have measured how successfully a queen ant establishes new colonies. The work revealed that the queen was still reproducing several decades after mating.

Southwest regional warming likely cause of pinyon pine cone decline

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:20:20 EST

Creeping climate change in the Southwest appears to be having a negative effect on pinyon pine reproduction, a finding with implications for wildlife species sharing the same woodland ecosystems, says a University of Colorado Boulder-led study.

Healthy seeds -- treated environmentally friendly

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:35:35 EST

Farmers treat seeds chemically in order to rid them of pest infestation. Now researchers have developed a method that kills pathogens without harming the environment. Pioneering seed suppliers are already implementing the procedure commercially.

Plant scientists demonstrate new means of boosting maize yields

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 14:56:56 EST

Plant geneticists have successfully demonstrated what it describes as a "simple hypothesis" for making significant increases in yields for the maize plant.

Some plants are altruistic, too, new study suggests

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:23:23 EST

We've all heard examples of animal altruism: Dogs caring for orphaned kittens, chimps sharing food or dolphins nudging injured mates to the surface. Now, a new study suggests some plants are altruistic, too.

Bioinspired fibers change color when stretched

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:19:19 EST

Materials scientists have invented a new fiber that changes color when stretched. Based on the "bastard hogberry" plant, the new fiber could lend itself to the creation of smart fabrics that visibly react to heat or pressure.

Rice-cell cocktail tough on cancer cells, nice to normal cells

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:22:22 EST

In lab tests, juice from rice cells knocked out two kinds of human cancer cells as well or better than the potent anti-cancer drug Taxol. Plus, it did something extra: it left normal cells unharmed.

As colorectal cancer gets more aggressive, treatment with grape seed extract is even more effective, study shows

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:58:58 EST

When the going gets tough, grape seed extract gets going: A new study shows that the more advanced are colorectal cancer cells, the more GSE inhibits their growth and survival. On the other end of the disease spectrum, GSE leaves healthy cells alone entirely.

Giant tobacco plants that stay young forever

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:17:17 EST

Tobacco plants bloom when they are just a few months old -- and then they die. Now, researchers have located a genetic switch which can keep the plants young for years and which permits unbounded growth. In short, an ideal source of biomass.

Invading species can extinguish native plants despite recent reports to the contrary

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:20:20 EST

Evolutionary biologists have found that, given time, invading exotic plants will likely eliminate native plants growing in the wild despite recent reports to the contrary. A new study reports that recent statements that invasive plants are not problematic are often based on incomplete information, with insufficient time having passed to observe the full effect of invasions on native biodiversity.

Tree seeds offer potential for sustainable biofuels

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:42:42 EST

Tree seeds, rather than biomass or fuel crop plants, could represent an abundant source of renewable energy, according to new research. The study suggests that seeds from the Indian mahua and sal trees have almost as good a thermal efficiency as biodiesel but would produce lower emissions of carbon monoxide, waste hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.

Bugs need symbiotic bacteria to exploit plant seeds: Mid-gut microbes help insects in processing their food

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:11:11 EST

Aggregations of the red and black coloured firebugs are ubiquitous under linden trees in Central Europe, where the bugs can reach astounding population densities. While these insects have no impact on humans, their African, Asian, and American relatives, the cotton stainers, are serious agricultural pests of cotton and other Malvaceous plants. Researchers recently discovered that these bugs need bacterial symbionts to survive on cotton seeds as their sole food source. By using high-throughput sequencing technologies, they found out that firebugs and cotton stainers share a characteristic bacterial community that colonizes a specific region of their mid-gut.

Computer, electrical engineers working to help biologists cope with big data

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:17:17 EST

Computer and electrical engineers are developing computing tools to help biologists analyze all the data produced by today's research instruments.

Corn could help farmers fight devastating weed

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:15:15 EST

Researchers in China investigate corn's ability to act as a trap crop and control sunflower broomrape.

Unlocking sorghum's gene bank

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:20:20 EST

Climate change poses a major challenge to humanity’s ability to feed its growing population. But a new study of sorghum promises to make this crop an invaluable asset in facing that challenge.

New insights into how plants grow in response to light, water and gravity

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:54:54 EST

Elementary school students often learn that plants grow toward the light. This seems straightforward, but in reality, the genes and pathways that allow plants to grow and move in response to their environment are not fully understood. Leading plant scientists now explore one of the most fundamental processes in plant biology -- plant movement in response to light, water, and gravity.

Animals contribute to seagrass dispersal: Fish, terrapins, and birds may help spread eelgrass seeds into new areas

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:42:42 EST

A new study is first to show that marine animals can disperse eelgrass seeds, with implications for management and restoration.

Botany experiment will try out zero gravity aboard space station

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:42:42 EST

Gravity: It’s the law in these parts. But to reach the stars, humans may have to learn to live outside the law.

Plant sniffs out danger to prepare defenses against pesky insect

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:07:07 EST

A plant may start to prime its defenses as soon as it gets a whiff of a male fly searching for a mate, according to entomologists.

Antioxidant cookies made possible by grape seeds

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:30:30 EST

A new study found that it is possible to create cookies enriched with antioxidants from grape seeds that taste good and have an antioxidant level about 10 times higher than a regular cookie.

What happens to plant growth when you remove gravity?

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:31:31 EST

It is well known that plant growth patterns are influenced by a variety of stimuli, gravity being one amongst many. On Earth plant roots exhibit characteristic behaviors called 'waving' and 'skewing', which were thought to be gravity-dependent events. However, Arabidopsis plants grown on the International Space Station (ISS) have demonstrated this theory wrong, according to a new study: root ‘waving’ and ‘skewing’ occur in spaceflight plants independently of gravity.

Plant organ development breakthrough

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:35:35 EST

Plants grow upward from a tip of undifferentiated tissue called the shoot apical meristem -- some cells eventually differentiating into leaves and flowers. Because each plant's form and shape is determined by organ formation and organ boundary creation, elucidating the underlying mechanisms that govern these functions could help scientists design the architecture of crop plants to better capture light and ultimately produce more crop yield with less input.

Digital portrait for grapes indicates their ripeness

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:50:50 EST

Researchers have developed a technique for estimating grape composition and variety using computer imaging. They have also put forward an index for identifying the ripeness of seeds without the need for chemical analysis. This new method can help to decide the best moment for picking. The normal procedure for identifying the sugar content of grapes involves chemical analysis. But this is a long and tedious task that tells vine-growers when to start picking their grapes. Now though, scientists are proposing an alternative technique: photographing grapes and analyzing the images.

Herbivore defense in ferns

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:33:33 EST

They dominated the earth for 200 million years and numerous different species can still be found all over the world: mosses, horsetails and ferns. Researchers have now found out that bracken ferns do not release any volatiles when they are attacked − unlike many of the now dominant and evolutionary younger flowering plants. Such an emission of volatile compounds may attract the pest insects’ enemies, such as ichneumon wasps or predatory bugs, that parasitize herbivores. Nevertheless, volatile emission could be also elicited in fern fronds, if they had been treated with plant hormone jasmonic acid.

New way in which plants control flower production

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:38:38 EST

The timing of flowering in plants is critical. It can have profound effects on flower, fruit, and seed production, and consequently agricultural yields. This process is known to depend on daylight and temperature cues. However, biologists now reveal there is a second, previously unknown, mechanism that controls flowering.

Grape seed extract bollixes norovirus

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:57:57 EST

Norovirus causes more than half of all food-born illnesses in the United States, and is the second greatest source of reported food borne illness outbreaks in the European Union. A recent study found that grape seed extract could reduce the infectivity of Norovirus surrogates (Norovirus surrogates are viruses that share pathological and/or biological features with human norovirus). Now, researchers have shown that grape seed extract does so by denaturing the capsid protein, which is the coat of the virus, thereby disabling the virus.

Insect-repelling compounds discovered in folk remedy plant, Jatropha

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:02:02 EST

A tip about a folk remedy plant used in India and Africa to ward off bugs has led to the discovery of insect-repelling compounds. Scientists have identified components of Jatropha curcas seed oil that are responsible for mosquito repellency.

Do Australia's giant fire-dependent trees belong in the rainforest?

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:40:40 EDT

Australia's giant eucalyptus trees are the tallest flowering plants on earth, yet their unique relationship with fire makes them a huge puzzle for ecologists. Now the first global assessment of these giants seeks to end a century of debate over the species' classification, a debate which may determine their future.

Plant inventory looks for rare species, maps out future conservation

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:15:15 EDT

The St. Francois Mountains, in the southeastern part of Missouri, are home to the state's highest peaks and only igneous glades. This unique area harbors a diverse flora that is currently under threat from encroaching species. Concern for survival of the glade's plant communities has prompted a study that will lead to mapping out a conservation management plan.

Improving lipid analysis: With new mass spectrometer, researchers can grow knowledge of plants and environmental stress

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:23:23 EDT

New research analyzing lipids is helping scientists around the world understand plant responses and develop better crops that can withstand environmental stress.

Viral alliances overcoming plant defenses

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:31:31 EDT

Researchers have found that viruses will join forces to overcome a plant's defenses and cause more severe infections.

Pollenizer research should help seedless watermelon farmers

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:59:59 EDT

Research on flower production and disease resistance in watermelon varieties should help bolster seedless watermelon harvests for farmers.

Green leaf volatiles increase plant fitness via biocontrol

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:39:39 EDT

To secure food resources, sustainability of agriculture must be increased. Such efforts also depend on insights from plant ecology. Based on field studies on tobacco plants, researchers demonstrated that the release of volatiles which attract enemies of herbivores not only controls insect pests, but also increases the reproduction of infested plants. Transferred to the goals of biocontrol, this means that natural plant defenses can improve agricultural yields in an environmentally friendly manner.

Computational model identifies potential pathways to improve plant oil production

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:24:24 EDT

Using a computational model they designed to incorporate detailed information about plants' interconnected metabolic processes, scientists have identified key pathways that appear to "favor" the production of either oils or proteins. The research may point the way to new strategies to tip the balance and increase plant oil production.