Recent Posts

Unusual cell death pathway in maize endosperm

An interesting new study by Doll et al. addresses one of the most complex and important plant developmental processes, that of seed formation, with a focus on maize. Like other seeds, the maize seed (kernel) includes the next generation embryo, surrounded by various maternal tissues as well as the triploid…

Maternal control of seed size through the ovule

Li et al. investigate how Arabidopsis seed size is controlled by maternal tissues. By Ying Ju Li, Yang Yu and Ying Hua Su, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong, China  Background: Seed size is determined by the coordinated development…