Month: June 2019

These Arabidopsis plants are part of studies to determine links between the plant defense system and circadian clock carried out by Hua Lu, professor of biological sciences at UMBC, and her lab members. The results could lead to plants that are more effective at fending off pathogens and pests or even influence human medical treatment.… Continue reading New research decodes plant defense system, with an eye on improving farming and medicine

China has been expanding the amount of land used to grow soybeans and diversifying its source of imports to reduce reliance on imports from the US  – its second-largest supplier – amid a yearlong trade war between the world’s two largest economies. In Northeast China, the soybean planting season is nearing an end. In Heilongjiang… Continue reading Northeast China expands soybean cultivation, reduces reliance on US imports

Can a small circuit board, barely the size of a credit card, help the world’s wheat to beat the heat? Kansas State University researchers think so, and they say that they’ve built the world’s first facility to help them prove it. In a lush field north of the university’s Manhattan campus, the scientists are testing… Continue reading Crop scientists looking for ways to beat the heat

Researchers from Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center apply fertilizer to rice seedlings in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong province, May 9, 2019. (Photo/Xinhua) China has planted about 300 new strains of saltwater-tolerant rice on 670 hectares of experimental alkali fields in search of resilient, high-yield varieties that can grow on previously unproductive land. Qualified… Continue reading China: Trials underway for saltwater rice strains

Climate conditions in Nepal are suitable for the establishment of fall armyworm, which could cause considerable crop loss if not managed properly. The fall armyworm is a destructive pest that has a voracious appetite for maize and other crops. Through the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)… Continue reading System uses plants to lure fall armyworm away from maize fields

Chinese scientists have sequenced the whole genome of 3,800-year-old wheat seeds unearthed from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, decoding the food crop’s spreading route into China. Four Chinese institutes jointly conducted the research. The scientists extracted DNA from seven ancient wheat seeds discovered from Xiaohe and Gumugou cemeteries in Xinjiang, which is an essential geographic intersection… Continue reading Chinese scientists complete whole genome sequencing of ancient wheat seeds

Gloria Coruzzi of New York University’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology studies gene regulatory networks controlling nitrogen use efficiency and root nutrient uptake. | New York University photo Researchers at New York University have discovered how each gene in the rice genome senses and responds to combinations of water and nutrients. The finding could… Continue reading Rice gene response to water and nutrients discovered