(4) Four of diamonds (CC BY-SA 2.0) by wikioticslan
From What Makes Plants Flower To “Sleeping” Trees.
The subject of trees seemed to received a lot of attention in the April 2018 plant science news. The stories ranged from what actually constitutes a “tree” to how tree canopies seem to move during the night.
Also, new clues to what, at the cellular level, initiates flowering were reported, along with a novel approach to possibly inoculating plants against insect pests and disease.
- Time To Flower?: “How do plants “know” it is time to flower? A new study uncovers exactly where a key protein forms before it triggers the flowering process in plants.”
Researchers identify the cells that trigger flowering
- What is a Tree?: “Despite numerous studies and 30-plus genomes under their belts, scientists are still struggling to nail down the defining traits of these tall, long-lived, woody plants.”
What makes a tree a tree?
- Vaccines for Plants?: “Novel technologies are being sought to replace the traditional pesticides used to protect plants, particularly edible plants such as cereals. A new collaborative project between the University of Helsinki and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) is shedding light on the efficacy of environmentally friendly RNA-based vaccines that protect plants from diseases and pests.”
A vaccine for edible plants? A new plant protection method on the horizon
- Can Plants Store More Carbon Dioxide?: “Researchers around the world are working to improve plants’ ability to combat climate change.”
Plants are great at storing CO2. These scientists aim to make them even better
- “Sleeping”Trees?: “High-precision three-dimensional surveying of 21 different species of trees has revealed a yet unknown cycle of subtle canopy movement during the night. The ‘sleep cycles’ differed from one species to another. Detection of anomalies in overnight movement could become a future diagnostic tool to reveal stress or disease in crops.”
Trees are not as sound asleep as you may think
Tomorrow: From cocoa CRISPR to artificial plant cells….
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