Glacier FarmMedia – Have you ever had a bad case of jet lag, when you get off a long flight and your body is telling you it’s time to sleep, but the outside world is telling you it’s time for breakfast? That’s the biological effect of the inner body clock, also known as the circadian […] Read more
Tag Archives Biology
Opinion: Hacking a plant’s biological clock can push production
Understanding plant body clocks could transform how crops are grown
Light signals from neighbouring weeds alter crop plant growth, yield
University of Guelph and USDA researchers uncover a new defense mechanism in plants
In the battle between weeds and crops, weeds are winning. A new theory developed by a University of Guelph researcher suggests why. For the first time, plant scientists have shown that weeds can alter crop growth from a distance by affecting light signals used by the crop plants to communicate. Clarence Swanton, a weed scientist […] Read more
Bacteria boost plant root hair growth
Science Notes: Symbiotic bacteria in root cells may be key to producing better crops, study finds
A Rutgers study has found that symbiotic bacteria that colonize root cells may be managed to produce hardier crops that need less fertilizer. The study appeared in the journal Microorganisms. Bacteria stimulate root hair growth in all plants that form root hairs, so the researchers examined the chemical interactions between bacteria inside root cells. They […] Read more
Plant drought tolerance relates to pore openings
Science Notes: Molecule associated with relaxation controls the size of pores and water loss
A team of Australian and German researchers has discovered a novel pathway that plants can use to save water and improve their drought tolerance. The research published recently in Nature Communications shows that the molecule GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), most commonly associated with relaxation in animals, can control the size of the pores on plant leaves […] Read more
A plant’s roots tailor its soil environment
Science Notes: Plants maintain the metabolites around them, which helps explain why plants grow in so many places
The small mustard plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) produces specialized metabolites capable of selectively altering the microbial communities of the soil surrounding its roots to suit its own purposes. While the findings may be useful in engineering beneficial root microbiota for sustainable agriculture, they may also, in part, explain why plants have evolved such vast metabolic diversification. […] Read more
Bee-based disease prevention
Inoculating flowering plants with insect-delivered fungus can help limit disease
Fungi that can inoculate crops against disease can be applied using insects — bumblebees, to be specific. According to Bee Vectoring Technology (BVT) — a Canadian company with offices in the United States and Europe, and in the process of commercializing such a service — Bombus-delivered inoculants offer fruit farmers another way to augment their […] Read more
Eliminating enzyme creates virus-resistant pigs
Science Notes: The gene-edited pigs are resistant to the Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus
Researchers at the University of Missouri have successfully produced a litter of pigs that are genetically resistant to a deadly porcine virus. Coronaviruses, highly contagious and widespread viruses known for their distinctive microscopic halos, are responsible for a variety of deadly intestinal diseases in livestock. Why it matters: The innovation will help reduce the financial […] Read more
Australian scientists find species-jumping genes more common than thought
Cross-species gene transfers, even between plants and animals have occurred frequently
University of Adelaide, Australia, scientists have shown that widespread transfer of genes between species has radically changed the genomes of today’s mammals and been an important driver of evolution. In the world’s largest study of so-called “jumping genes,” the researchers traced two particular jumping genes across 759 species of plants, animals and fungi. These jumping […] Read more
Wild genetic adaptations can have many uses
Science Notes: A gene that helps rice grow taller in floods is a variant of rice genes used to rapidly increase yield
When floodwaters rise, some rice varieties rapidly grow taller to keep from drowning. A new study identifies the key gene responsible for the deep-water rice adaptation — SD1 (semidwarf 1). It’s a variant of the gene responsible for the increased grain yield that launched the rice Green Revolution. The ability of this gene to function […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
