Tag: Applied Plant Biology

Large, A-type starch granules are desirable for nutritional and industrial purposes due to their gelatinization properties. However, the average wheat starch granule is small (less than 30 µm) compared to other starchy crops like pea and potato. Natural wheat cultivars with large granules have not been…

Plants and other photoautotrophs have potential to support astronaut needs, including food production, atmospheric and water recycling, and the generation of pharmaceuticals and biofuels. A recent review by Murphy et al. provides a brief historical overview of microalgae and cyanobacteria research in…

Plant (and many algal) cells facilitate cell-to-cell movement through specialized regulated pores called plasmodesmata that connect neighboring cells, and there is a rich literature in how plasmodesmata regulate intercellular movement for example by sealing closed following pathogen or viral infection.…

Naturally occurring biostimulants have emerged as promising tools for promoting sustainable agriculture and horticulture by enhancing plant performance while reducing reliance on chemical inputs. Among these, peptide-based biostimulants stand out for their high specificity, biodegradability, and overall…

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…

For crop breeders, the deceptively simple question “is it better?” hides a web of consequences when extra chromosome sets are added (polyploidy), and this perspective pulls those pieces together. What, exactly, do additional gene copies and larger cells buy in terms of yield, quality, and resilience?…

This is an interesting and engaging review article, written by a team from Bayer US Crop Science, on how mutations (broadly defined) have benefited plant domestication and breeding. While it briefly covers the basics, such as population genetics, it really focuses on demystifying and normalizing the…

Agriculture contributes substantially to climate change. Many agricultural interventions have been suggested as opportunities to lower this impact, through CO2 sequestration or through reducing emissions of CO2 and CH4. This review by Vickers and Zerbe lays out how to use Fermi calculations to identify…