Wheat is a staple food for many people around the world. But it's in trouble. Droughts are becoming more common and more severe. This is a big problem for farmers and for everyone who eats bread, pasta, and other wheat-based foods. Scientists are trying to find ways to help wheat survive in dry conditions. They are looking at both the wheat we eat every day and its w...
Wheat is a big deal worldwide. It feeds billions, but droughts are a huge problem. They mess with the yield and quality of the crop. So, making wheat that can handle drought better is a smart move. Scientists have been digging into a special group of genes called Q-type ZFP genes. These genes are like the brain's command center in plants, helping them deal with tough...
Miscanthus lutarioriparius is a plant that grows back every year. It is known for producing a lot of biomass. This makes it useful for making biofuels and other eco-friendly products. Scientists have been studying this plant to understand how it handles tough conditions like too much salt or not enough water. They built special libraries of its genes to find out more...
Leonurus japonicus, a common flowering plant in Asia, faces a big challenge: drought. Drought is a major stress factor for this plant, affecting its growth and survival. WRKY genes are known to help plants cope with drought. These genes produce proteins that act like managers, turning other genes on or off in response to stress. Researchers have studied WRKY genes i...
In the plant world, drought can be a major problem. It can mess with a plant's ability to photosynthesize, grow, and even reproduce. In the worst cases, it can kill the plant. But here's a twist: some plants have a trick up their sleeves. They can fix the damage caused by drought and bounce back. This is what scientists call xylem embolism refilling. It's like a plan...
Picture this: a farmer facing a drought. Do they genres seeds that can deal with salty soil easily or implement powerful ones? This is the fight for fenugreek. Enriching fenugreek plants with certain natural products could help keep them moving and growing while drought conditions persist. For decades, farmers, growers, and researchers have been looking...
Ever wonder how plants survive harsh conditions like dry spells or salty soils? One key player is the Sec14 gene family, a group of genes with a special domain that helps regulate lipids, the building blocks of cell membranes. This family has been around since the days of yeast, and it's found in all eukaryotic cells, including ours. But what about in soybeans? Not m...
Drought can seriously mess with how plants get their phosphorus, a key nutrient. Recent studies might not have fully understood how different drought conditions alter the availability of phosphorus in soil. Scientists decided to test this by growing maize under varying levels of soil wetness in a tropical setting. They found that the drier the soil, the less phosphor...
Scientists have been exploring how silicon, a crucial element for plants, can aid oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in surviving drought conditions. They were particularly interested in how silicon influences callose, a substance found in plant roots, and how it alters the cell walls when the going gets tough. They examined the roots using a microscope and observed prote...
Ever wondered what happens to tomato plants when they're thirsty? A recent study dug deep into this question, tracking how water shortage affects the way tomato plants process light during photosynthesis. Researchers created different drought levels (100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of normal water), hoping to see how plants cope. As expected, leaves became less juicy, pigmen...