Recent Posts

Review: Role of silicon in drought tolerance

There is increasing evidence that silicon (Si) application to soils or leaves can promote plant growth through various means, including enhancing tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, but the mechanisms of this growth promotion are not always clear. Here, Bardhan et al. review how Si can promote…

Reduction of stomatal density by STOMAGEN paralog editing

Climate change is having negative effects on yield of economically important crops such as rice. Therefore, there is a pressing need for climate-change adapted crops. Previous research has highlighted that a decrease in stomatal density can enhance drought tolerance. EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR-LIKE9…

Hydraulic trade-offs underlie enhanced performance of polyploid trees under soil water deficit

The (apparently delicious) fruit called atemoya is produced from a hybrid of Annona squamosa (sugar apple) × Annona cherimola (cherimoya), native to the American tropics but now grown widely. The hybridization event led to plants with several ploidies; diploid, triploid and tetraploid, which serve as…

A fresh mechanism for drought tolerance in apple

Niu, Jiang, Cao et al. discover the role of a ferredoxin-NADP+ oxidoreductase gene in drought tolerance in apple. Background: Global climate change and rapid population growth have been increasing the shortage of water resources, enhancing the effects of natural disasters such as drought. Drought…