Maxygen subsidiary Verdia announces discovery and improvement of glyphosate tolerance gene
...el commercial opportunities in crop protection and plant quality traits for ourselves and our partners." "I am extremely proud of the scientific accomplishments that Maxygen and Verdia have made," said Russell Howard, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Maxygen. "Our MolecularBreeding TM directed evolution...Plant pathologists to meet in Anaheim, CA to discuss agricultural security, food safety, and more
...9, 2004) On July 31 August 4, 2004, thousands of plant pathologists (plant disease experts) from across t...APS) Annual Meeting. Over a five-day period, these plant scientists will present more than 30 different sessions on agricultural issues, new research discove...Genetic barrier to self-pollination identified
...have as many as 50 or 60 different S-alleles, each plant has only two of them, one inherited from each pare...incompatibility and thus cannot be rejected by any plant pistil. However, pollen with two identical S-alleles (again resulting from duplication of the pollen...Field Museum gives Parker/Gentry Award to Chinese conservationist
...d Museum. "It flows through the home to some 7,000 plant species, a significant number of them endemic to the region, and 80 rare or endangered animal species, including the snow leopard and Yunnan snub-nosed antelope. Almost certainly, it is home to new species waiting to be discovered." Last year, The Fi...Some plants may compensate for herbivore damage by stimulating nutrient release in the soil
...trogen (which is potentially readily available for plant use) at an increased rate. Beech responded to the increased nitrogen availability by producing larger leaves with a greater photosynthetic capacity, compensating for the initial defoliation. Fir saplings showed no such compensatory responses, and gr...From algae, weeds and people: new genetic clues to complex obesity syndrome
...compared those matches to a weed -- the laboratory plant Arabidopsis. The alga and humans both have cilia, but the weed doesn't, so the researchers could eliminate genes and proteins that aren't involved in cilia, says Dutcher. The alga and humans shared 4,348 "fairly good" matches. Subtracting those also......tified in pea aphid which was associated with host plant specialization - there was a dramatic increase in ...e symbiont may have played an initial role in host plant specialization, but that it is no longer necessary for maintaining specialization in some parts of t...Dartmouth Medical School awarded $9 million grant for genomics research
... include a number of significant animal, human and plant pathogens, as well as a large number of strains used in industrial manufacture. This study will provide a foundation for a great deal of further work." Neurospora crassa, better known as bread mold, is an important model in genetics research, altho...Earth, sky tapped in unique global climate change study
...change," said Dr. David Briske, Experiment Station plant ecologist. Briske and Dr. Mark Tjoelker, Experime...nd warming in various amounts to measure impact on plant growth. The researchers chose post oak, bluestem grass and junipers because those species are pre...Plant disease under the homeland security microscope
... -- Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, questions on plant diseases have added significance, said Dr. Charles Rush, plant pathologist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Amarillo. Plant pests, including weed...Dramatic decline of California native frog linked to introduced trout in mountain lakes
...matic and rapid," Vredenburg said. "Every time you plant hundreds of thousands of fish, you're hammering a ... Berkeley's departments of integrative biology and plant and microbial biology to determine the effect of a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, o...Orange, tangerine peels could be better than drugs for lowering cholesterol
...methoxylated flavones (PMFs), are similar to other plant pigments found in citrus fruits that have been increasingly linked to health benefits, including protection against cancer, heart disease and inflammation. The study is believed to be the first to show that PMFs can lower cholesterol, the researchers...Institute for OneWorld Health CEO advocates focus first on developing world markets
... simpler and less expensive than today's laborious plant harvesting processes. This biotech process could be applied to several other kinds of pharmaceutical compounds which are otherwise expensive to synthesize or costly to extract from natural sources. "By focusing first on the developing world, especia...Tests show biotech corn rules need revision
...e EPA rules say that if you grow Bt corn, you must plant a refuge of non-Bt corn for at least 20 percent of your crop." Caterpillars that can survive on Bt corn are rare at first, and only a few resistant adult moths emerge from Bt corn fields. But refuges of non-Bt corn produce oodles of susceptible moth...Crop rotation may help wait out soil pathogen deadly to pumpkins
... to the disease, 14 did not. Mohammad Babadoost, a plant pathologist in the College of Agricultural, Consum...it out the pathogen until it is safe to once again plant pumpkins or other crops susceptible to P. capsici. "Crop rotation is already being used by pumpkin g...Adaptation, niche conservatism, and convergence
... in the past few million years? Twelve independent plant lineages of the California chaparral were examined, using comparative methods that combine new phylogenetic information and statistical techniques. Only four of the twelve lineages showed the pattern expected if the leaves had evolved to suit the Med...Domesticated tree crops may be the 'future of forestry'
...ated. When the trap vector lands near or next to a plant gene, GUS is expressed in the same manner as its neighboring gene. For example, if GUS lands beside a gene active only in the veins of the plant's leaves, then GUS will be active only in those areas, producing a blue color in the veins. Researchers c...Wisconsin chemists find a new chink in TB's armor
...e proteins that initiate chemical reactions within plant and animal cells. "We've figured out how this enzyme works. If you knock it out, the bacteria aren't viable," Kiessling explains. "It's an essential enzyme." The TB microbe's success and resistance to traditional drugs is attributed in large measure ...Tiny beetle wreaks havoc on Texas ornamental tree nurseries
...vessels that transports water and nutrients to the plant cells. "It's really the ambrosia fungus that kills the tree, not the beetle," Ludwig said. No one knows why the insect made such an impact this year, but Ludwig said it's suspected that mild winters have played a big role. The adult beetles over-w...Researchers string together players in pesticide resistance orchestra
...gement strategies." One type of bug, the tarnished plant bug, includes two species native to the United States that cause moderate to severe damage to fruits, vegetables, tree seedlings, cotton and alfalfa. The total annual losses and control costs attributed to this one insect are $2.1 billion to $3.5 bil...