plant breeding
Bacterial leaf streak disease can slash corn yields 20%—will science stop it?
Bacterial leaf streak, a foliar disease in corn, has only been in the United States for a handful of years, ...
Flood-tolerant crops could survive intense rainfall as climate change accelerates
Global warming has resulted not only in increased incidences of drought and heatwaves but also increased rainfall which brings higher ...
Manipulating plant mitochondrial DNA could boost crop diversity, promote food security
Researchers in Japan have edited plant mitochondrial DNA for the first time, which could lead to a more secure food ...
‘Google maps’ for gene sequencing helps small labs cheaply, quickly develop disease-resistant crops
Australian researchers have developed a tool described as “Google Maps for genes” potentially throwing open the field of genetic manipulation, ...
Sequenced genome reveals how almonds went from bitter to sweet, could help produce more flavorful nuts
A team of researchers .... has found the genetic difference between bitter wild almonds and the sweet domesticated variety. In ...
Plants have circadian clocks; knowing how they ‘tick’ could optimize crops for diverse growing conditions
It's widely understood that humans have a circadian clock. When we travel long distances, things get knocked out of kilter ...
‘Pan genome’ of world’s wheat could supply genetic variation to breed new crop varieties
The growing demand for wheat, the onset of global warming, and the transitioning of Western farming away from intensive agriculture, ...
Video: Fine-tuning beneficial mutations breeds higher yielding tomatoes
Unexpected interactions between mutations can be a thorn in the side for plant breeders, especially when they’re trying to promote ...
‘Exotic’ genes from obsolete cotton varieties could boost crop yields without sacrificing fiber quality
Cotton breeders face a "Catch-22." Yield from cotton crops is inversely related to fiber quality. In general, as yield improves, ...
‘Road map’ of pollen development could help breed more desirable food crops
....Sexual reproduction has evolved as nature's way of shuffling the genetic deck of cards, so to speak. That shuffling actually ...
Activists, scientists spar over effort to restore American chestnut tree with genetic engineering
The American chestnut tree once sustained a way of life. Pioneers used the tall, straight, and fast-growing tree for fences, ...
Taming wild plants with CRISPR gene editing in quest to find new foods
A pilot project with groundcherries demonstrates the huge potential in gene editing wild plants for food ...
Naturally mutating corn pollen genes may lead the way to higher-yielding crops
Pollen genes mutate naturally in only some strains of corn, according to Rutgers-led research that helps explain the genetic instability ...
Newly discovered ‘gene conversion’ mechanism could lead to high-yielding wheat
When it comes to breeding better wheat varieties....we seek to introduce desirable genes that increase yield, [but] these can come ...
Viewpoint: Biotech industry should rebuild EU’s trust in science to foster farming innovation
The global environmental challenges are changing too fast and we therefore need speedy reactions too, including innovative plant breeding technologies ...
Can we boost crop yields by making photosynthesis better with genetic engineering?
Will an improvement of photosynthesis make up for the food shortfalls we expect to face in coming years? ...
How plant breeders produce new crops to stay ahead of climate change, disease
Global warming and changes in the amount – and location – of water, are key factors in the need to ...
Podcast: Here’s why scientists don’t call genetically modified plants ‘GMOs’
GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, and CRISPR – which stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, are used to ...
Plant scientists: Anti-GMO activism has warped the public’s understanding of biotechnology
Public perception of genetically engineered (GE) crops is being manipulated by organizations that purport to represent the interests of consumers ...
Potato breeding ‘revolution’ aims to safeguard spuds against proliferating pests and climate change
In Peru and around the world, enhancing the potato has become a high priority. It is the most important food ...
Marijuana is an ancient plant, but we’re only beginning to unravel its DNA
For a plant humans have grown and transported around the world for thousands of years—utilizing its precious seeds, flowers, resin, ...
Podcast: There’s more to plant breeding than GMOs. Overlooked biotech tools help develop new crops
When most people hear the term biotechnology they think GMOs. It’s important to know that biotechnology is much more than ...
60 percent of wild coffee species at risk of ‘extinction’
More than half of the world’s 124 wild coffee plant species meet the criteria for inclusion on the International Union ...
Researchers aim to develop heartier potatoes, but ‘generations of inbreeding’ may pose a challenge
Scientists are trying to revolutionize potatoes and....cure the tubers’ depression, the result of generations of inbreeding. ....Potatoes reproduce through cloning, ...
GMOs 101: Experts break down the basics of crop biotechnology
An online search for “GMO” returns more than 88 million results — a tangled mess of frightening images, dense data, ...
Talking Biotech: As demand for food rises, the world needs more plant scientists
The world needs plant scientists. Two experts explain how you can join the field ...
Soil salinity cuts crop yields worldwide, but salt-tolerant crops are on the horizon
Soil salinity [affects] large areas in the world and millions of farmers are faced with decreasing yields and many are ...
