A major challenge in plant biology is observing molecular events. Reporter systems such as GUS and GFP have underpinned breakthroughs in gene regulation, cell signalling and development, yet each has its constraints: Fluorescent proteins demand microscopes and low background autofluorescence, and GUS requires destructive staining. To overcome these limitations, researchers repurposed betalain biosynthesis (the pigment […]
Founders review: Forty years of research into hormone mimics, inhibitors, and agrochemicals This review, by Tadao Asami, looks back at his career as a scientist who designs and synthesizes small, physiologically active molecules with applications in research and agriculture. It’s an impressive history documenting how the methods used for such rational design have evolved over […]
Recently, a team of agricultural economists (Pardey et al.) released a powerful commentary about the state of agricultural research funding, which they say is insufficient. They observe that, fueled in part by the changing climate, food prices are rising everywhere, but they are forecast to rise even higher due to global underinvestment in agriculture R&D. […]
Many factors contribute to global hunger, but progress in many sensible directions such as lowering waste and improving distribution has been negligible; furthermore, the ever growing challenges of climate change continue to hinder food production. Photosynthesis is a critical yet inefficient process for plant growth that is largely conserved across important crops, so provides an […]
Reading this review brought to mind some well-known lyrics starting “You don’t know what you’ve got …” Joni Mitchell followed with “till its gone,” whilst Blink-182 suggested “till it’s almost gone”. A major challenge for plant scientists today is to find out what we have before its gone, and hopefully use this knowledge to not […]
This is the last edition of PSRW before the new year. Although we have spent the past year celebrating the breakthroughs in plant science, I am going to end on a more sober note, which is succinctly captured in this important special report from Ripple et al. The authors pull together data from across the […]
Commentary: Fund food research now Recently, a team of agricultural economists (Pardey et al.) released a powerful commentary about the state of agricultural research funding, which they say is insufficient. They observe that, fueled in part by the changing climate, food prices are rising everywhere, but they are forecast to rise even higher due to […]
This review by Rai et al., part of a focus collection on metabolism, comprehensively covers the role of metabolomics in plant biology: its history, its tools and techniques, and its impact. As the authors point out, metabolomics bridge the gap between genotype and phenotype by providing a direct readout of what is happening at the […]
Halophytes are plants that have evolved ways to adapt to high-salt environments that can be toxic to non-halophytes. Some halophytes prevent salt uptake, some sequester it in disposable bladders, and some extrude it from salt glands. In a new study, Mai et al. studied Nolana mollis, a salt-tolerant plant from the Atacama desert in Chile. […]