Much like the spikes that deter birds from sitting on fences, trichomes — hair like projections on the leaf surface — are the epidermis’ first line of defence, discouraging insects and other pests (Levin, 1973). In addition to their role protecting the plant, trichomes are an excellent marker to study developmental biology: they arise from […]
Providing around 20% of global calories, rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important staple crops (Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), 2013). With consumption particularly increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, it is vital to increase rice yields to supply the growing population. Grain yield is largely determined by three […]
The transcription of many genes is regulated through alternative splicing, with over 60 percent of genes in Arabidopsis thaliana producing more than one mRNA [1]. The most common forms of alternative splicing are intron retention and the use of alternative polyadenylation sites that result in transcripts of different length [1, 2]. Alternative splicing can be […]
For a number of crops agricultural yields have been boosted by the phenomenon of heterosis or hybrid vigour, where a hybrid outperforms either parent. Understanding the various mechanisms by which heterosis arises may facilitate the breeding of hybrids with increased vigour for further crop varieties or species. Vigour can be determined by measurement of a […]
What we think of as a strawberry is botanically not a berry or even a fruit, but rather multiple fruits (achenes that contain the seeds) on the outside of a swollen receptacle. This technicality aside, strawberries are both economically important and a useful system in which to study seed-fruit communication. While cultivated strawberries have a […]