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Rows of soybean plants with green leaves beneath a partially clouded sky with the rising sun in the background.
As Carbon Dioxide Goes Up, Plants’ Nutrient Content Declines
Abundant environmental CO2 can increase plant biomass and photosynthesis, but it has downsides for agriculture and ecosystems, a growing body of research finds.
As Carbon Dioxide Goes Up, Plants’ Nutrient Content Declines
As Carbon Dioxide Goes Up, Plants’ Nutrient Content Declines

Abundant environmental CO2 can increase plant biomass and photosynthesis, but it has downsides for agriculture and ecosystems, a growing body of research finds.

Abundant environmental CO2 can increase plant biomass and photosynthesis, but it has downsides for agriculture and ecosystems, a growing body of research finds.

plant biology, agriculture

Photograph looking up a tree trunk
Contrary to Common Belief, Some Older Trees Make Fewer Seeds
Annie Melchor | Nov 1, 2021 | 2 min read
An analysis of more than half a million trees reveals that many species begin to taper off seed production once they hit a certain size.
Yuan Longping standing out in a rice field
Hybrid Rice Developer Yuan Longping Dies at 90
Lisa Winter | May 26, 2021 | 2 min read
The high-yield variety of rice he produced in the 1970s prevented countless people from dying of starvation.
two tomato plants in pots viewed from the top, one scraggly with yellow leaves and one healthier-looking
Stress-Response Compound Widespread in Animals Is Found in Plants
Shawna Williams | May 22, 2021 | 4 min read
TMAO appears to both stabilize other plant proteins and influence the expression of stress-response genes, researchers report.
different varieties of ground and unground coffee beans in bowls and plates on a table
Rediscovered Coffee Species Tastes Great, Tolerates Warmth: Study
Shawna Williams | Apr 20, 2021 | 2 min read
Cultivating stenophylla, untapped by the coffee industry for the last century, could help farmers cope with the effects of climate change, researchers suggest.
wheat blast fungus zambia Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum
Wheat Blast Arrives in Zambia, First Time in Africa
Munyaradzi Makoni | Oct 19, 2020 | 4 min read
Experts fear the fungal pathogen will spread to other African countries, threatening wheat production.
Genomics Reveals How Humans Can Inadvertently Drive Plant Mimicry
Shawna Williams | Mar 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Hand weeding of fields spurred an interloper to evolve a rice-like appearance, researchers conclude.
An aerial view of a harvester in a cotton field
The Long Road to Edible Cottonseed
Shawna Williams | Oct 11, 2019 | 5 min read
The FDA recently cleared the way for marketing of the genetically modified product. Texas A&M’s Keerti Rathore speaks with The Scientist about why and how it was developed.
citrus greening antibiotic oxytetracycline
Antibiotic Ineffective Against Citrus Greening: Study
Ashley P. Taylor | Aug 19, 2019 | 2 min read
Oxytetracycline, approved by the US government to combat citrus scourge, may not work—at least not as a spray.
agriculture agronomic science crop data sharing
Opinion: Agriculture Must Replace Small Science with Big Science
Sylvie Brouder | Jun 17, 2019 | 4 min read
Agronomic sciences should follow the lead of genetics and other disciplines in sharing data.
Questions Raised About DARPA-Funded Crop Program
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 4, 2018 | 4 min read
Critics of an agricultural research initiative cite concerns about possible weaponization of the resulting technology, which would use infected insects to deliver genetically modified viruses to plants.
Scientists Can’t Agree on What’s Making Pistachio Trees Sick
Catherine Offord | Aug 1, 2018 | 5 min read
A new study ignites debate on the cause of pistachio bushy top syndrome, a disease that has crippled farms in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi Investigates How Pathogens Invade Plant Roots
Shawna Williams | Feb 1, 2018 | 2 min read
The Purdue University researcher is one of the first to examine the molecular processes that underlie infection by soil microbes.
Researchers Learn from Plant Viruses to Protect Crops
Claire Asher | Feb 1, 2018 | 10+ min read
Plants are locked in an ancient arms race with hostile viruses, but genome editing is giving crops the upper hand.
How Viruses Attack Plants
Claire Asher | Jan 31, 2018 | 1 min read
Viruses are incapable of reproducing without the help of a host, whose cells copy their genetic material and fabricate the building blocks of new virus particles.
Breakthrough Prizes Recognize Geneticists, Big Bang Researchers
Catherine Offord | Dec 3, 2017 | 2 min read
Among this year’s winners are a geneticist who revealed how plants respond to shade and a group of physicists who mapped the universe’s background radiation.
Washington State University Researchers Complain of Industry Influence
Kerry Grens | Nov 6, 2017 | 1 min read
Agriculture faculty members allege funding from industry organizations is tied to their employment status.
Insects Are Increasingly Evolving Resistance to Genetically Modified Crops
Ashley P. Taylor | Oct 13, 2017 | 2 min read
Plantings of non-GM refuges counter the development of resistance.
Plant Biologist Killed in Ethiopian Protest
Kerry Grens | Oct 6, 2016 | 2 min read
Stone throwers hit the car Sharon Gray was riding in while visiting the country for a meeting.
Science History: The First Transgenic Arabidopsis
Kerry Grens | Oct 1, 2016 | 3 min read
Tweaks to a transformation protocol in 1986 cemented the little plant's mighty role in plant genetics research.
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