All Soil & Plant Science articles
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NewsPlant DNA harbours virus ‘fossils’ that reflect 300 million years of evolution
New research shows that Caulimoviridae viruses have infected an extremely wide range of vascular plant hosts, from lycophytes to flowering plants, revealing the existence of 35 previously undescribed taxonomic clusters in Caulimoviridae.
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NewsNovel plasmid confers phosphorylation-driven streptomycin resistance in plant pathogen
The genetic basis underlying the unusually high-level streptomycin resistance observed in the field-derived strain TX-0702 of Clavibacter michiganensis has remined unknown until a new study identified a previously uncharacterized plasmid.
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NewsMeet EcoBOT: The autonomous lab standardizing plant-microbe research
Berkeley Lab’s new “self-driving” laboratory, EcoBOT, automates complex plant experiments to eliminate human error, solve biology’s replication crisis, and accelerate bioenergy research.
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NewsRice-grown chaga reveals genes behind valuable triterpenoids
New study links triterpenoid accumulation in Inonotus obliquus with rising expression of key biosynthetic genes, providing a genetic foundation for future work to improve sustainable production of Chaga-derived compounds.
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NewsBreakthrough study could unlock key to more reliable truffle cultivation
A pioneering study has revealed that growing truffles depends not just on soil conditions, but on a complex underground ecosystem that the truffles may help to engineer themselves.
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NewsDrone index tracks wheat mildew
A new study addresses the need for rapid, field-scale monitoring of wheat powdery mildew in smallholder farms, where disease spread can be spatially uneven and difficult to capture through manual scouting alone.
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NewsExtreme droughts in the rainforest reduce important feedback between soil and atmosphere
The El Niño drought and heat suppress the capacity of the Amazon rainforest soil to absorb isoprene by a factor of four, while boosting its amount around the forest canopy.
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NewsMicrobe–fertilizer pair cuts greenhouse soil emissions
A new study shows that inoculating organic fertilizers with denitrifying bacterium, especially when paired with mushroom residue organic manure, reduces N₂O emissions by reshaping the soil microbiome.
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NewsBiochar helps paddy soils lock away carbon by reshaping microbial life underground
A new study reveals that straw and biochar both increase soil organic carbon, but biochar stores carbon more efficiently by guiding soil microbes toward stable carbon formation.
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NewsTiny DNA ‘hitchhikers’ may be reshaping life in thawing Arctic soils
A new study in the peatlands of northern Sweden provides one of the clearest pictures yet of how frequently microbes swap, gain and lose genes in nature. The study establishes a new framework for measuring genetic mobility in natural environments.
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NewsWidespread saprotrophs identified as the hidden engine of soil carbon decomposition
A nationwide study across China reveals that broad geographic distribution, rather than local diversity alone, determines which soil fungi actively fuel carbon decomposition and shape future carbon dynamics under climate change.
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NewsRice-crayfish farming strengthens soil nutrient cycling
Using metagenomic sequencing, a study has shown that integrated rice-crayfish systems increase the abundance of functional genes involved in methane oxidation, nitrogen degradation, denitrification, organic phosphorus mineralization, and phosphorus transport compared with rice monoculture. Source: Brian Tomlinson from Milton Keynes, UK Crayfish. The paddy planting area within ...
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NewsSoil moisture tips the balance of nitrogen cycling
A new study reveals that nitrite accumulation is not simply a chemical outcome, but the result of mismatched microbial activities between ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers.
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NewsScientists deploy biofilm-targeting approach to improve crop disease resistance
A new study reports a biofilm-targeting approach for improving crop disease resistance. By replacing the native chloroplast transit peptide (CTP) of MOC1 with a secretory signal peptide (SP), the team redirected the enzyme from chloroplasts to the apoplast.
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NewsRings of power – how bacteria use circadian clocks to colonise their world
A new study reveals how bacteria rely on circadian clocks to control the spread of their multi-cellular colonies.
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NewsSoil pH regulates the symbiosis between stink bugs and gut bacteria
A new study shows soil pH regulates the symbiosis between stink bugs and gut bacteria, revealing alternative strategies to pesticides in agricultural pest control.
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NewsThe miracle microbes that could save crops from impact of rising sea levels
A new study reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which microbes help plants – including maize, tomato and rapeseed - survive in harsh environments, with major implications for agriculture worldwide.
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NewsA soil bacterium turns electricity and carbon dioxide into acetate
A new study shows that a soil bacterium can directly reduce Fe(III) minerals, exchange electrons with electrodes, and use electrode-derived electrons to convert carbon dioxide into acetate under autotrophic conditions.
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OpinionFungi that inspired The Last of Us may hold the key to a pesticide-free agriculture
They may be the stuff of our nightmares, but Aditya Singh Ranout reveals how invisible allies underneath our feet in the form of entomopathogenic fungi are transforming agriculture - and why these fascinating microbes may hold the key to a pesticide-free agriculture.
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NewsNative litter jump-starts microbial recovery in mine soils
By applying litter collected from nearby native woodland to rehabilitated mine land, a study has shown increases in microbial diversity, enrichment of carbon- and nitrogen-cycling microorganisms, and stronger biochemical potential for soil organic matter decomposition and nitrogen mobilization.