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Researchers finally discover the structure of plant protein NPR1

A phone call, according to biologist Xinnian Dong, was her “best Christmas gift ever.” Pei Zhou, a longstanding friend, and partner at Duke University called with some exciting news: they had finally discovered the structure of the plant protein NPR1.

18 May 2022

A new breakthrough in the quest to improve photosynthesis in certain crops

A Cornell University study describes a breakthrough in the quest to improve photosynthesis in certain crops, a step toward adapting plants to rapid climate changes and increasing yields to feed a projected 9 billion people by 2050.

19 Apr 2022

Researchers decode complex potato genomes to accelerate the breeding of robust varieties

Scientists have decoded the highly complicated genome of the potato for the first time after over 20 years since the first release of the human genome.

From The Max Planck Institute 7 Mar 2022

Study reveals physico-chemical nature of xylem barriers that confer bacterial wilt resistance

A new work led by Núria Sánchez Coll, CSIC researcher at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, elucidates how tomato plant varieties resistant to the bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum have the ability to restrict bacterial movement in the plant.

17 Feb 2022

Russian biologists identify dangerous strains of pathogenic fungi that cause diseases in potatoes

Russian biologists have studied strains of the plant pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, which causes diseases in potatoes and other plants.

20 Jan 2022

Researchers create a healthier form of starch in the cassava plant

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan have recently created a healthier form of starch in the cassava plant. Published in the scientific journal Plant Molecular Biology, the study shows how reducing levels of starch branching enzymes (SBEs) in cassava plants changes the composition of tapioca starch, making it more resistant to digestion and healthier for us to eat.

17 Dec 2021

UAB expert shares the science of how to make a delicious Thanksgiving meal

Thanksgiving is a time when many Americans pull out their boxes of recipes from generations of family members, but one thing that may not be included in your grandmother's turkey stuffing -; or dressing -; recipe is what happens at a molecular level to make it worth gobbling up.

29 Nov 2021

Incorporating RNA-inspired breaking points to reduce plastic pollution

Once plastic products are used and discarded, they can linger in oceans, collecting in large "garbage patches" and harming sea life. One potential solution, a biodegradable polymer called polylactide (PLA), has so far not fully lived up to its promise, showing little sign of breakdown once in seawater.

21 Oct 2021

Study seeks climate-smart strategies for root, tuber and banana crops in sub-Saharan Africa

Root, tuber and banana (RT&B) crops are widely cultivated across the landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

23 Sep 2021

A unique vertical farm can produce 10 times more seed potatoes a year

The pandemic has interfered with production chains in many areas of agriculture, making the restoration of the Russian seed bank a priority of food safety.

14 May 2021

Food tastes better if you see it before smelling it, study reveals

The order in which your senses interact with food has a tremendous impact on how much you like it. That's the premise of a new study led by the University of South Florida (USF). The findings published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology show that food tastes better if you see it before smelling it.

15 Apr 2021

Toxin in potatoes is a divergent of bitter-tasting compound in tomatoes

A multi-institutional collaboration has revealed that α-solanine, a toxic compound found in potato plants, is a divergent of the bitter-tasting α-tomatine, which is found in tomato plants.

26 Mar 2021

New automated workflow to identify genetic basis of microbial growth inhibition

Researchers at the Earlham Institute (EI) have created a new automated workflow using liquid handling robots to identify the genetic basis to prevent plant pathogens, which can be used on a much larger and rapid scale than current methods.

5 Mar 2021

Study shows American plant could be beneficial for balanced, sustainable diet

Researchers have discovered a plant native to America could also be grown in the United Kingdom, bringing with it benefits for a sustainable and balanced diet.

16 Feb 2021

New study facilitates the use of gene editing technique on plants

A new study performed by the IBMCP of UPV University enables the use of the CRISPR genomic editing technique on plants.

9 Feb 2021

Plant genetic engineering can help address micronutrient malnutrition

More than two billion people worldwide suffer from micronutrient malnutrition due to deficiencies in minerals and vitamins.

19 Oct 2020

Researchers assess heat-stress tolerance of different varieties of sweet potato

Climate change poses a threat to the world's subsistence crops. Heatwaves, which are likely to intensify according to climate evolution predictions, are generating levels of heat stress that are damaging to agricultural production.

15 Oct 2020

Scientists develop UK Crop Microbiome Cyrobank to facilitate sustainable yield improvement

Scientists from the UK's foremost agricultural research institutes have teamed up to create a new UK Crop Microbiome Cyrobank (UK-CMCB) to safeguard future research and facilitate the sustainable yield improvement of the UK's six major food crops including barley, oats, oil seed rape, potato, sugar beet and wheat.

12 Oct 2020

New technology to unlock the secrets of plant genomes in high resolution

The genomes of all higher life forms are stored in the cell nucleus on chromosomes. Chromosomes are composed of strands of the DNA molecule.

22 Sep 2020

Researchers discover novel resistance gene to devastating potato disease

Late blight is the most important pathogen in potato and causes devastation worldwide. The disease, caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans, was the trigger of the Irish Famine and still one of the most serious threats to potato production that causes significant economic losses.

22 Sep 2020