Review: History of Solanaceae family in genetic research
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Plants from the Solanaceae family had, and continue to have, fundamental roles in plant genetic research. Gebhardt summarizes the historical contributions of the Solanaceous plants tomato, tobacco, petunia, potato, pepper, and eggplant. The tomato has been a model plant for studying fruit traits…
Sub-Antarctic plants warm up themselves
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchHigh latitude and altitude plants experience short growing seasons, consistent low temperatures, windy environments and unpredictable sunny spots. These plants are usually small and rely on self-pollination, but in Campbell, a Sub-Antarctic island, there are gardens of megaherbs that defy the predictions…
Evolution of fruit types in the Rosaceae family
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe evolution of fruits might have been the most important feature that made angiosperms so successful. Fruits protect seeds and contribute to seed dispersal, as well as comprise a food source for humans and other animals, therefore, studying their evolution would help us shed light on the evolution…
Gene editing to produce doubly-determinate, early-yielding tomatoes ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchTomatoes have an indeterminate growth pattern that arises from the balance of flower-promoting (florigen) and flower repressing activities. Suppressing this flower-repressing activity leads to greater determinacy and facilitates cultivation. Soyk et al. compared flowering times in short- and long-days…
Photosynthetic machinery protection induced by UV-B in Chlamydomonas
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchLight is good, too much light is bad. Photosynthetic organisms can dissipate excess light through a variety of means including non-photochemical quenching. Czechowski et al. show that in Chlamydomonas perception of UV-B light via the nuclear/cytosolic receptor UVR8 induces accumulation of proteins that…
Reviews: Seed dormancy and germination ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchA pair of reviews in J. Exp. Bot. covers aspects of seed dormancy and germination. Steinbrecher and Leubner-Metzger (10.1093/jxb/erw428) provide an excellent introduction to materials science including stress-strain curves and Young’s Modulus, which they then apply to an understanding of the biophysics…
Review: Nuclear Ca2+ signaling in endosymbiosis
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe Common Symbiosis Signaling Pathway (CSSP) conveys the perception of endosymbionts (rhizobia or mycorrhizal fungi) at the plasma membrane to the nucleus to initiate transcriptional responses. Calcium oscillations are core to the CSSP, whether the endosymbiont is fungal or bacterial. Barker et al.…
Review: Physics of pollinator attraction
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchFlowers use a variety of strategies to attract pollinators and ensure successful pollination, including color and scent. Moyroud and Glover review some of the less familiar strategies including physical alterations to reflected light. As one example, conical epidermal cells on snapdragon flower petals…
Metabolic control of tobacco pollination ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogA germinated pollen grain extends a pollen tube through the stigma and style of the flower to deliver two sperm cells to an ovule. Tip-directed growth of the pollen tube requires a large energy input, but how does the pollen tube obtain energy while growing through the flower tissues? Goetz et al.…