Top 12 Botany News For 2017

Scientists have discovered a DNA reprogramming method that takes place in plants at the end of each reproductive cycle. This discovery can render plant cells immortal allowing them to maintain longevity down the generations thus impacting crop improvement.

Reference: “Sexual-lineage-specific DNA methylation regulates meiosis in Arabidopsis | Nature Genetics”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have devised a way to use Sorghum to produce biofuel. With Sorghum, up to 1000 gallons of fuel could be produced per acre. This ground-breaking method could be an alternative to fossil fuels today.

Reference: “Potential for ethanol production from different sorghum cultivars”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

Researchers at MIT developed plant lights using watercress. They embedded light-emitting nanoparticles into the leaves of the watercress plant. This allowed it to radiate dim light for almost 4 hours. Illuminated plants can be used as street lamps in the future.

Reference: “A Nanobionic Light-Emitting Plant”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

A group of scientists at the Oregon state university has discovered a switch-type personality in the bacterial genus, that associate with plants, Rhodococcus. Some of the bacteria are known to be benign, while others are found to be pathogenic. However, using genome sequencing, scientists could sort out species that can switch between the two states.

Reference: “Evolutionary transitions between beneficial and phytopathogenic Rhodococcus challenge disease management | eLife”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

A recent study at the Oxford University demonstrated that plants experience the same effect under anesthetics, as humans and animals do. It was determined that anesthetics create effects at the cellular level. In the future, plants could be used as models to study the effects of anesthetics.

Reference: “Anaesthetics stop diverse plant organ movements, affect endocytic vesicle recycling and ROS homeostasis, and block action potentials in Venus flytraps | Annals of Botany | Oxford Academic”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh invented a new gene-editing technique that can enable algae to produce a wide variety of medicines and renewable fuels. Known as Large-scale algal genome engineering, designer algae can be produced out of different species for the production of large-scale products.

Reference: “Efficient targeted DNA editing and replacement in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii using Cpf1 ribonucleoproteins and single-stranded DNA”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

Researchers at Max-Planck-Gesellschaft studied the adaptations of different populations of the same plant species towards climate change. They studied genetic variants that enable the plants to survive in severe drought conditions among different populations. For their experiments, the used mustard cress, planted from seeds acquired from different locations.

Reference: “Genomic basis and evolutionary potential for extreme drought adaptation in Arabidopsis thaliana | Nature Ecology & Evolution”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

Results of experiments performed at the University of Michigan suggest that a decrease in a plant’s individual growth can sometimes benefit the persistence of the larger plant community of the same species. The plant produces a chemical that defends against herbivores and pollinators. This defense mechanism reduces individual plant growth but keeps pollinators at bay thus boosting the growth of the population as a whole.

Reference: “Functional reduction in pollination through herbivore-induced pollinator limitation and its potential in mutualist communities | Nature Communications”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

In a recent study, researchers tested the growth of wheat using carbon nanotubes. Some of them showed no effect on the growth of wheat, while some single-walled nanotubes that were dispersed in water had a positive effect on growth. Carbon nanotubes dispersed in an organic solvent decreased wheat growth.

Reference: “Effect of raw and purified carbon nanotubes and iron oxide nanoparticles on the growth of wheatgrass prepared from the cotyledons of common wheat (triticum aestivum) – Environmental Science: Nano (RSC Publishing)”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

Researchers at the American chemical society studied climate stress conditions that can produce variability in the cocoa bean thus enhancing the flavor of chocolate. They discovered that the cocoa beans extracted from trees that grew in dry, hot conditions with less moisture content had enhanced flavor.

Reference: “Environmental Growing Conditions in Five Production Systems Induce Stress Response and Affect Chemical Composition of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Beans”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

Scientists at the University of California have further elucidated the mechanism of light-dependent gene expression. In a recent study, they were able to identify and elucidate the structure of the part of a plant photoreceptor that is responsible for light-dependent variation in gene expression.

Reference: “Mechanism of early light signaling by the carboxy-terminal output module of Arabidopsis phytochrome B | Nature Communications”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.

The American Society of Agronomy conducted a study which was centered on increasing Soybean protein content while producing high yield which was previously found to be negatively correlated. This research was achievable by introducing a gene that increases protein concentration, into Soybean varieties through breeding techniques.

Reference: “Crop Science Abstract – Crop Breeding & Genetics Agronomic Evaluation of a High Protein Allele from PI407788A on Chromosome 15 across Two Soybean Backgrounds | Digital Library”. Accessed January 05, 2018. Link.