Review: Tropical trees as time capsules of anthropogenic activity (Trends Plant Sci.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyTrees will help us ensure our future, but they are also a valuable record of our past. This fascinating review article by Caetano-Andrade et al. describes how anthropologists are taking advantage of data recorded in trees to understand more about not only the atmospheric and geological events of the…
High productivity in hybrid-poplar plantations without isoprene emission to the atmosphere ($) (PNAS)
Plant Science Research WeeklyMany trees emit isoprene (C5H8, a small volatile carbon compound) during hot weather, and isoprenes have been shown to help trees tolerate short bursts of high temperatures (heat flecks). Isoprenes are not themselves harmful, but are reactive and can lead to the production of high levels of ground-level…
Using CRISPR/Cas9 editing to inactivate an endogenous virus impacting bananas (Commun. Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyBanana streak virus (BSV) is a plant pathogenic pararetrovirus that has integrated into the genome of banana Musa spp., reducing crop production. When BSV-infected banana plants become stressed, BSV reactivates to create functional infectious viruses that can cause lethal tissue necrosis. Tripathi et…
Review. Flowering plants in the Anthropocene: A political agenda (Trends Plant Sci)
Plant Science Research WeeklyFor the past 100 million years, flowering plants have been the main producers of land biomass. They also are indirectly responsible for the origin of agriculture, setting the ball rolling for the onset of the Anthropocene. Negrutiu et al. argue that the accompanying rapid global changes require a reconsideration…
Monitoring and mitigation of toxic heavy metals and arsenic accumulation in food crops: A case study of an urban community garden (Plant Direct)
Plant Science Research WeeklyUrban gardens are a great way to introduce people to plant science, to bring fresh food into areas underserved by grocery stores (“food deserts”), and can promote a sense of community. But as Cooper et al. observe, many potential sites can be contaminated with heavy metals (lead, cadmium) and metalloids…
Special Current Opinion in Biotechnology issue Issue: Plant Biotechnology
Plant Science Research WeeklySince most of us will have a few days off this coming week as we welcome in 2020, I’d like to highlight some of the engrossing reviews in this special issue of Current Opinion in Biotechnology, edited by Ralf Reski, Gary Foster & Ed Rybicki. Several of the articles focus on Molecular Pharming,…
Rapid customization of Solanaceae fruit crops for urban agriculture ($) (Nature Biotech)
Plant Science Research WeeklyNumerous genes have been identified that modify shoot architecture, which has allowed breeding of varieties for specific purposes and environments. Here, Kwon et al. describe how they have used gene editing to modify several of these genes to produce tomatoes and groundcherries that are compact and rapid…
Plant gene editing through de novo induction of meristems ($) (Nature Biotechnol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyA fast method of gene editing using Agrobacterium was developed to deliver combinations of the developmental regulators including WUSCHEL and SHOOT MERISTEMLESS along with gene-editing reagents. The expression of specific developmental regulators led to the induction of meristems and expression of the…
Increasing risks of multiple breadbasket failure under 1.5 and 2 °C global warming (Ag Systems)
Plant Science Research WeeklyCrop yields are vulnerable to rising temperatures and changes in precipitation. Here, Gaupp et al. model the projected crop yields at 1.5 versus 2.0 degrees of additional warming, as part of the HAPPI experiment (perhaps a misnomer: Half a degree Additional warming, Prognosis and Projected Impacts).…