Strawberry boycott in Spain – In Europe, environmentalists are proposing a boycott of strawberries grown in southern Spain citing concerns about irrigation and pollution resulting from strawberry farms. About 95% of Spanish strawberries are produced in the region, which is close to a protected wetlands area and wildlife refuge.

Herbal herbicides – As public concern rises over the use of chemical herbicides, some scientists are turning to a perhaps surprising ally in the fight against weeds – other plants! Some plants can emit chemicals the prevent growth of competing species. Researchers are hoping to take advantage of these natural herbicides to develop ways of discouraging weed growth in agricultural fields – and in your front lawn.

Tracking stress in plants – A new technique developed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory uses radioactive tracers to detect the movement of the stress hormone Jasmonate within plant organs. Plants produce jasmonate at the site of insect damage and broadcast the jasmonate signal to other regions of the plant to initiate a system wide response. This new technique enables scientists to learn more about how plants respond to stress, which could benefit agriculture.

News Briefs:

Health: Herbal Viagra?; “A flavonoid a day….”

Climate change: Crops feel the heat as the world warms; Global deforestation rate slows

Ecology: Neighbors gone, fruits gone, species gone ;Puzzling patterns of tree killing insects

Evolution: Researchers reveal dwarf aquatic plants’ hidden ancestry