All Soil & Plant Science articles – Page 20
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NewsTraditional medicine plant could combat drug-resistant malaria
Researchers have identified compounds in the leaves of a particular medicinal Labrador tea plant used throughout the First Nations of Nunavik, Canada, and demonstrated that one of them has activity against the parasite responsible for malaria.
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NewsTobacco plant engineered to act as drug factory
Researchers have engineered a close relative of tobacco, Nicotiana benthamiana, to churn out peptides with antibiotic activity against some of the nastiest pathogens known to medicine.
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NewsScientists ID microbes that associate with oilcane
Researchers have identified the types of microbes that associate with engineered oilcane, opening the way to new opportunities to leverage plant-microbial interactions in these feedstocks, which could increase oil yields for sustainable bioenergy production.
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NewsRampant fungus threatens banana trade in Africa
Researchers have warned that Fusarium wilt TR4 appears to be spreading uncontrollably in Mozambique and immediate action is needed.
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NewsBeneficial bacteria lured by siren call of plant hormones
Scientists have discovered a bacterium carrying a receptor protein that allows it to migrate towards auxins in its plant host, which act as bacterial signalling molecules.
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NewsFungal diseases threaten global food security
Scientists have warned of the “devastating” impact that fungal disease in crops will have on global food supply unless agencies across the world come together to find new ways to combat infection.
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NewsPredatory soil protists may boost PGPB activity
Bacterivorous soil protists may regulate the activity of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), boosting plant growth even further, according to a new study.
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NewsAI-powered system diagnoses tomato leaf diseases
Researchers have developed an innovative deep learning architecture to accurately distinguish between different tomato leaf diseases.
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NewsUnraveling the secret microbial power within medicinal plants
A new review uncovers how medicinal plants interact with their endophytes at a molecular and metabolic level - and examines the potential of these endophytes for use in therapeutics.
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FeaturesOomycete research in the mangroves of The Philippines
Continuing the legacy of oomycete research in The Philippines in the search for new species, novel sources of fatty acids and natural products.
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NewsRed clover losses in forage mixtures are linked to soil pathogens - and how far south they are
Losses in red clover plant numbers within forage mixtures in the years after they are sown are not only connected to fungal pathogens in the soil, but also how far south they are grown, with implications for how climate change could affect livestock farms, a new study has found.
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NewsIncreased droughts are disrupting carbon-capturing soil microbes
Soil health and future greenhouse gas levels could be impacted if soil microbes adapt to drought faster than plants do.
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NewsGenomic surveillance may track evolution of emerging wheat disease fungus
Genomic surveillance may be an effective disease management tool against the wheat blast pandemic, with the ability to trace lineages of emerging crop diseases, and to identify genetic traits for breeding disease-resistant lines, a study suggests.
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NewsBumblebee superfood battles gut pathogen - and boosts queen bee production
Two new papers show that the spiny pollen from plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) both reduces infection of a common bee parasite by 81–94% and markedly increases the production of queen bumble bees.
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NewsTracking batch culture pinpoints moment when ‘silent’ biosynthetic gene clusters kick in
A team of scientists has mapped the times during a batch culture when core biosynthetic genes surged into action, showing that bursts of biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) transcriptional activity correlated with surges in net production rates per cell of known natural compounds.
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NewsChemical warfare against competitors drives colonization success in plant microbiota
Two natural chemicals - produced by a single bacterium - not only affect the structural organization of the root microbiota, but also act in concert to give the bacterium an advantage in colonizing and dominating the root niche.
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NewsRising temperatures alter ‘missing link’ of microbial processes, putting northern peatlands at risk
Study finds that microbial processes in peatlands fall out of sync at higher temperatures, with Sphagnum moss cover plummeting as the mercury rises.
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NewsResearchers make new optimal recommendations for fungicide resistance management
Fungicide application, while helpful in controlling plant diseases, has complicated limitations that may cost growers both peace of mind and quantity of yield. Plant pathogens which would otherwise be killed off by fungicides can evolve, developing resistance that renders the standard dose of fungicide application ineffective. Source: Maccheek ...
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NewsGeoactive fungus mines rare earth elements from monazite ore
Researchers have demonstrated that geoactive fungi can play a significant role in bioweathering of the phosphate mineral monazite, opening a route to biorecovery of important rare earth elements (REEs).
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Long ReadsA relationship with benefits: microfungi’s important role in plant health
Explore the work being done at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on the fungi associated with soil, seeds and plants and the future of fungal research.