Latest Plant Stories

Scientists believe they've pinpointed the last crucial piece of the 80-year-old puzzle of how plants "know" when to flower. Determining the proper time to flower, important if a plant is to reproduce successfully, involves a sequence of molecular events, a plant's circadian clock and sunlight. Understanding how flowering works in the simple plant used in this study – Arabidopsis – should lead to a better understanding of how the same genes work in more complex plants grown as crops...

Synthetic photoreceptor stimulates germination and development irrespective of exposure to light; results of researchers from Japan and Karlsruhe are published in the Plant Cell journal Plants are dependent on the sun. Sunlight does not only supply them with energy, but also controls their development steps. So-called photoreceptors activate the processes of germination, leaf development, bud formation, and blossoming in the cells. The light-absorbing component of a photoreceptor may be...

From getting hands on with salt-tolerant samphire plants, to a lecture on 3D plant imaging and a tour of a permaculture garden, the activities for Fascination of Plants Day will give Australians a new insight into plants. In the two weeks around 18 May, Australian plant scientists from around the country are organizing events that showcase why plants are fascinating. Fascination of Plants Day is a worldwide event with 39 countries planning celebrations. The day is being organized by the...

Much like the fabled tortoise and the hare, the competition between native and invasive plants growing in deciduous forests in the Eastern United States is all about how the plants cross the finish line in autumn. A new study by a Syracuse University biologist has found that the leaves of invasive plants continue to function in the fall, long after their native cousins have hunkered down for the winter. The findings are counter to conventional wisdom, which held that plants living under...

When a plant goes into defense mode in order to protect itself against harsh weather or disease, that’s good for the plant, but bad for the farmer growing the plant. Bad because when a plant acts to defend itself, it turns off its growth mechanism. But now researchers at Michigan State University, as part of an international collaboration, have figured out how plants can make the “decision” between growth and defense, a finding that could help them strike a balance – keep safe from...

Costa Farms O2 For You, Houseplants with a Purpose, lets you bring home earth’s natural air purifiers for health and well being on Earth Day Miami, Florida (PRWEB) April 19, 2012 Thank a plant on Earth Day. Silently and always “working”, these green heroes toil tirelessly to purify the environment, naturally cleansing the air and providing truly amazing health benefits! They filter indoor air 24/7 to sweep it clean from dangerous chemicals and toxins while continuously releasing...

The trade in live plants from around the world has become a major industry in the United States, with new imports now valued at more than $500 billion annually. According to a study conducted by researchers at UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, however, what has proved to be a boon for the economy has also been shown to have devastating effects on the environment. The multidisciplinary working group found that almost 70 percent of the most damaging...

New research from the University of Adelaide could help protect one of the world's most globally threatened tree species - the big leaf mahogany - from extinction. Big leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is the most prized mahogany timber around the world. It is at risk of extinction in its native habitats because of the timber trade, particularly in Central and South America. To better understand how such a threatened species can be brought back from the brink of extinction,...

[ Watch the Video ] After unearthing a previously unknown portion of one of the planet’s earliest known forests, archeologists say the fossils of 385-million-year-old trees reveal a far more diverse ecosystem than researchers had previously thought existed. Partially uncovered by quarry workers in 1870, the ancient forest beneath the tiny town of Gilboa, N.Y. has been of intense interest to paleobotanists since the 1920s. Dating back to the Devonian Period, researchers early on...

Genetic mutations to cellulose in plants could improve the conversion of cellulosic biomass into biofuels, according to a research team that included two Iowa State University chemists. Mei Hong, an Iowa State professor of chemistry and an associate of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, and Tuo Wang, an Iowa State graduate student in chemistry, contributed their expertise in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to the study. The study was led by Seth DeBolt,...