Scientists have discovered that grasses are able to short cut evolution by taking genes from their neighbours. The findings suggest wild grasses are naturally genetically modifying themselves to gain a competitive advantage.
Understanding how this is happening may also help scientists reduce the risk of genes escaping from GM crops and …
Scientists say the discovery of a group of hormones in plants could revolutionise food production by improving yields.
The Universities of Queensland and Sydney collaborated on the study, which has found about 130 CLE peptide hormones in legumes that were essential to growth and development.
Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Integrative …
By developing a symbiotic relationship with fungi, plants not only become more tolerant to diseases but can also help contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices. This is the conclusion of a new study from the University of Gothenburg.
Most crops can form symbiosis with fungi to gain key nutrients. The fungi …
Increasingly, farmers want to capitalise on beneficial microbes to support their crops, and science can assist the design of effective crop probiotics to make crops healthier, hardier and more productive, by increasing their resilience to pests, diseases and environmental stresses, and improving access to nutrients. Read …
A “think piece” suggesting a strategy to address the challenges spanning the production of, access to, and consumption of food. The paper does not make recommendations for policy, rather it aims to prompt discussion of where research and innovation can contribute most to solving the issues, including providing underpinning …
A new index — African Seed Access Index (TASAI) — has been developed to measure seed development and distribution to African farmers. TASAI is the first initiative of its kind, issuing detailed scorecards on Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Read …
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