In February 2016, Death Valley in California (the place where the hottest temperature ever was recorded) had a "superbloom" as millions of seeds of desert ephemeral plants germinated, leading to a massive floral bloom. See pictures and a video of this once-in-a-decade event. View full article

By Lou Del Bello If a few decades ago environmental and climatic changes were the remit of scientists and activists only, now concerns over the future of the planet have gone mainstream. Climate change and industrial pollution are now threatening the availability of food, and given the current…

PlantingScience is a learning community where scientists provide online mentorship to student teams as they design and think through their own inquiry projects. Engaging in the science process and becoming familiar with science practices enhances science learning. The ability to collaborate, discuss,…

An introduction to wheat stem rust, a disease caused by the rust fungus Puccinia graminis, and efforts to breed resistant wheat varieties. View full article

PLOS Genetics Review article by Marijn Knip, Maria E. Constantin and Hans Thordal-Christense (2014). Knip M, Constantin ME, Thordal-Christensen H (2014) Trans-kingdom Cross-Talk: Small RNAs on the Move. PLoS Genet 10(9): e1004602. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004602 View full article

Baulcombe, D.C. and Dean, C. (2014). Epigenetic Regulation in Plant Responses to the Environment. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 6:a019471. Comprehensive review article, open access, excellent overview of our understanding of epigenetic regulation in plants. Source: Cold Spring Harbor…

Overview of how Agrobacterium tumefaciens infects plants and causes disease. Published by APS. Crown gall by Kado, C.I. 2002. Crown gall. The Plant Health Instructor. DOI:10.1094/PHI-I-2002-1118-01 Excellent introducation to parastici plants. Nickrent, D.L. and Musselman, L.J. 2004. Introduction…

Overview of how Agrobacterium tumefaciens infects plants and causes disease. Published by APS. Crown gall by Kado, C.I. 2002. Crown gall. The Plant Health Instructor. DOI:10.1094/PHI-I-2002-1118-01 View resource