http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/plant-science-blog.html Plant science blog from biology-blog.com, the place for information. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT en-us http://www.biology-blog.com/images/blogs/plant-science-blog.jpg http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/plant-science-blog.html 99 107 http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/making-better-broccoli.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/making-better-broccoli.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT Carotenoidsfat-soluble plant compounds found in some vegetablesare essential to the human diet and reportedly offer important health benefits to consumers. Plant carotenoids are the most important source of vitamin A in the human diet; the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, found in corn and leafy greens vegetable such as kale, broccoli, and spinach, are widely considered to be valuable antioxidants capable of protecting humans from chronic diseases including age-related macular degeneration, cancer, and cardiovascular disease........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/indoor-plants-to-fight-air-pollution.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/indoor-plants-to-fight-air-pollution.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT Air quality in homes, offices, and other indoor spaces is becoming a major health concern, especially in developed countries where people often spend more than 90% of their time indoors. Surprisingly, indoor air has been reported to be as much as 12 times more polluted than outdoor air in some areas. Indoor air pollutants emanate from paints, varnishes, adhesives, furnishings, clothing, solvents, building materials, and even tap water. A long list of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs [including benzene, xylene, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, trichloroethylene (TCE), and methylene chloride], have been shown to cause illnesses in people who are exposed to the compounds in indoor spaces. Acute illnesses like asthma and nausea and chronic diseases including cancer, neurologic, reproductive, developmental, and respiratory disorders are all associated with exposure to VOCs. Harmful indoor pollutants represent a serious health problem that is responsible for more than 1.6 million deaths each year, as per a 2002 World Health Organization report........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/seeking-flower-variety.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/seeking-flower-variety.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT Florists and other retailers who sell flowers and plants can now add another tool to their marketing kit. A recent study of "consumption values" may help them understand what influences consumers' choices in regard to floral purchases, and how to better design marketing efforts and purchase stock that can increase customers and sales........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/sustainably-grown-garlic.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/sustainably-grown-garlic.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT Consumer interest in new and diverse types of garlic is on the rise. Fueled by factors including the growth of the "local foods" movement, interest in world cuisines, and widespread reports touting its numerous health benefits, demand for high-quality, locally grown garlic is increasing throughout the U.S........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/pecan-trees-benefit-from-thinning.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/pecan-trees-benefit-from-thinning.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT Pecan trees, like many fruit trees, have a tendency to bear fruit in cycles, producing a large crop in one or two years, followed by one or two years with little or no crop. This cycle, called "alternate bearing", is the most profit-limiting biological problem facing pecan producers; the inconsistent production pattern creates supply and marketing challenges that can have severe negative effects on the pecan industry........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/for-african-violets.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/11-2009/for-african-violets.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT African violets have a mixed reputation. Their delicate, colorful flowers and furry, soft leaves make them a favorite among home gardeners and growers. But the striking plants are often regarded as temperamental: a precise recipe of light, moisture, warm temperatures, high humidity, and fertilizer is mandatory to encourage african violets to grow and flower........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/10-2009/new-method-to-help-keep-fruit-and-vegetables-fresh.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/10-2009/new-method-to-help-keep-fruit-and-vegetables-fresh.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT ATLANTA Did you know that millions of tons of fruits and vegetables in the United States end up in the trash can before being eaten, as per the U.S. Department of Agriculture? A Georgia State University professor has developed an innovative new way to keep produce and flowers fresh for longer periods of time........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/10-2009/carbon-offsetting-and-conservation.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/10-2009/carbon-offsetting-and-conservation.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT Logged rainforests can support as much plant, animal and insect life as virgin forest within 15 years if properly managed, research at the University of Leeds has found. Because trees in tropical climates soak up large amounts of carbon dioxide, restoring logged forest through planting new trees could also be used in carbon trading, as per Dr David Edwards, from University's Faculty of Biological Sciences........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/10-2009/rainforest-plants-then-and-now.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/10-2009/rainforest-plants-then-and-now.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT Smithsonian scientists working in Colombia's Cerrejn coal mine have unearthed the first megafossil evidence of a neotropical rainforest. Titanoboa, the world's biggest snake, lived in this forest 58 million years ago at temperatures 3-5 C warmer than in rainforests today, indicating that rainforests flourished during warm periods........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/grow-your-own-apples.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/grow-your-own-apples.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:42:04 GMT

Choose a location that offers 8 hours of sun per day (trees in shady areas won"t produce ample ......... ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/bananas-gone-bad-glow-blue-in-uv-light.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/bananas-gone-bad-glow-blue-in-uv-light.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Nicholas Turro of Columbia University, Bernhard Krautler of the University of Innsbruck, Austria and their colleagues have observed that, as chlorophyll ages and begins to disintegrate in banana peels it does not change color in the spectrum of visible light we see. Instead, it glows blue when observed under ultraviolet light........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/unlocking-genetic-secrets-of-date-palm.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/unlocking-genetic-secrets-of-date-palm.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar have mapped a draft version of the date palm genome, unlocking a number of of its genetic secrets. "We have generated a draft DNA sequence and initial assembly of the date palm using the most advanced technology," says Joel Malek, director of the Genomics Laboratory at WCMC-Q. Genetic information about the date palm is extremely valuable to scientists who are working to improve fruit yield and quality and to better understand susceptibility and resistance to disease........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/drug-free-cannabis-plant.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/drug-free-cannabis-plant.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT In a first step toward engineering a drug-free Cannabis plant for hemp fiber and oil, University of Minnesota scientists have identified genes producing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in marijuana. Studying the genes could also lead to new and better drugs for pain, nausea and other conditions........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/exotic-timber-plantations-use-water.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/exotic-timber-plantations-use-water.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Ecologists have discovered that timber plantations in Hawaii use more than twice the amount of water to grow as native forests use. Particularly for island ecosystems, these findings suggest that land management decisions can place ecosystems and the people who depend on them at high risk for water shortages........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/more-tamarisk-invasion-in-future.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/more-tamarisk-invasion-in-future.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT If the future warming trends that researchers have projected are realized, one of the country's most aggressive exotic plants will have the potential to invade more U.S. land area, as per a newly released study reported in the current issue of the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management The study observed that tamariskprevalent today in some parts of the region, but generally limited to warm and dry environmentscould expand its range into currently uninvaded areas........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/clues-into-the-evolution-of-the-first-flowers.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/clues-into-the-evolution-of-the-first-flowers.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Approximately 120-130 million years ago, one of the most significant events in the history of the Earth occurred: the first flowering plants, or angiosperms, arose. In the late 1800s, Darwin referred to their development as an "abominable mystery." To this day, researchers are still challenged by this "mystery" of how angiosperms originated, rapidly diversified, and rose to dominance. (See the January 2009 issue of the American Journal of Botany at www.amjbot.org/content/vol96/issue1.)........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/conflict-between-plant-and-animal-hormones.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/conflict-between-plant-and-animal-hormones.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Cis-OPDA (12-oxophytodienoic acid) is a highly reactive plant hormone which simultaneously serves as a precursor molecule of the metabolic "master switch" jasmonic acid. Both signal herbivory in leaves and shoots of plants and activate the plants' defense reaction against caterpillars. Cis-OPDA, when reaching the hemolymph of the caterpillar, has a negative effect on the animal, leading to premature pupation and, apparently, an impaired immune system........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/for-carnivorous-plants-slow-but-steady-wins-the-race.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/for-carnivorous-plants-slow-but-steady-wins-the-race.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Like the man-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors, carnivorous plants rely on animal prey for sustenance. Fortunately for humans, carnivorous plants found in nature are not dependent on a diet of human blood but rather are satisfied with the occasional fly or other insect. The existence of carnivorous plants has fascinated botanists and non-botanists alike for centuries and raises the question, "Why are some plants carnivorous?" ........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/as-ash-borer-claims-more-trees.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/as-ash-borer-claims-more-trees.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Mark Widrlechner may someday be known as the modern-day Johnny Appleseed for ash trees. As the devastating insect emerald ash borer is working its way across North America destroying almost all the native ash trees it encounters, Widrlechner is rapidly collecting and storing ash tree seeds. Like the legendary Appleseed who planted apple trees across the country, Widrlechner's seed stocks can serve as a national source for reintroducing ash trees once the devastation can be controlled........ ]]> http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/getting-plants-to-rid-themselves-of-pesticide-residues.html http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2009/getting-plants-to-rid-themselves-of-pesticide-residues.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:12:55 GMT Researchers in China are reporting the "intriguing" discovery that a natural plant hormone, applied to crops, can help plants eliminate residues of certain pesticides. The study is scheduled for the Sept. 23 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. Jing Quan Yu and his colleagues note that pesticides are essential for sustaining food production for the world's growing population. Farmers worldwide use about 2.5 million tons of pesticides each year. Researchers have been seeking new ways of minimizing pesticide residues that remain in food crops after harvest with little success. Prior research suggested that plant hormones called brassinosteroids (BRs) might be an answer to the problem........ ]]>