Plants Text Message Farmers When Thirsty - In other plant communication news, a firm called Accent Engineering, Inc. has developed a drought monitoring service called SmartCropTM, which alerts farmers on their cell phones when their crops are in danger of dehydration. During the long, hot summer months, infrared detectors assess the leaf temperature over time and signal when the fields need watering, allowing farmers to adjust irrigation as necessary. Now we just need a version for house plants.

Scientist rediscovers rare plant unseen since 1985 - The rare parasitic plant won’t win any beauty contests and won’t appear on your dinner table any time soon. The plant, which is native to Mexico, steals food from other plants instead of making its own. The plant, called “little hermit”, is so unusual it has been categorized into its own genus. Despite its recent find, this ‘hermit’ may not be around for long. It’s at risk of extinction from logging in the area.

Biofuels
Food scientists say stop biofuels to fight world hunger

Agriculture
Ancient Sunflower Fuels Debate About Agriculture In The Americas

Basic Research
Scientists to capture DNA of trees worldwide for database

Medicinal Plants
Nitric Oxide Regulates Plants as Well as People

Sudden Oak Death Pathogen is Evolving, Says New Study that Reconstructs the Epidemic - Researchers from the University of California in Berkeley have reconstructed the beginnings of the state’s Sudden Oak Death epidemic that is currently spreading through millions of oak trees. Scientists have shown that the
devastating plant pathogen is evolving, which raises concerns about the future of oak trees (and possibly all trees) in California. By studying the pathogen’s genetic makeup, researchers are narrowing in on a possible source of the Sudden Oak Death, which is likely a nursery that was shut down earlier due to infestation. Published in Molecular Ecology.

Scientists Obtain Anticancer Medicines from the Elecampe, A Wild Plant Growing in the Mediterranean - Researchers from the University of Granada have made huge steps in migraine and cancer research. The group has discovered that the plant
Dittirichia viscose (more commonly known as elecampe) can be used to inhibit migraines. The researchers also discovered compound that prevents the growth and metastasis of brain and lung cancers.

Researcher Discovers Pathway Plants Use to Fight Back Against Pathogens - The human body is attacked constantly by viruses and bacteria. Luckily, almost every human being possesses an immune system to help combat these invaders. But, how does a plant, which lacks an immune system like the one animals contain, fight off viral and bacterial invaders? For quite some time, researchers have known that plants are able to sense an attack from a pathogen and could then activate plant defenses. The only question that remained was what happened between the two stages: sensing the pathogen and responding to the pathogen. Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia have discovered features of the complex signaling cascade that is activated when the pathogen attacks.

Agriculture News:
Researchers Map Corn Plant’s Genome - Following the rough draft of the human genome, scientists have focused on mapping out as many genomes as possible. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have now added corn to the lengthening list of mapped organisms. With this massive breakthrough, scientists hope to increase corn yield and fitness.

New high-throughput method of genetic modification in peas
One major challenge to the genetic modification of pea plants is that current techniques commonly used in other crops are simply unsuited for peas. But, all that is slated to change as researchers from the INRA Plant Genomics Research Unit at Evry have developed a mutant strain of a pea plant using a high throughput method called TILLING.

Earlier Plantings Underlie Yield Gains in Northern Corn Belt- A new study finds that planting corn earlier in the season leads to increased crop yields. While climate changes have been positive for this earlier growing period, it is uncertain whether this positive trend will continue.

Growing Hypoallergenic Rubber Plants In Texas

Scientists Find Plant Gene that Affects Stress Resistance - Like humans, plants deal with several stresses each day. Most of these stresses arise from the environment, such as UV light exposure. But, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have isolated a gene that may help plants cope with stress. It is the hope that after enough research, the new gene might also aid in protection against viral and bacterial infections.

Nitrogen Pollution Boosts Plant Growth In Tropics By 20 Percent - A recent ecological study in India, South America, Africa and Southeast Asia provides evidence that nitrogen pollution, caused by nearby farm fertilizers, is promoting rapid growth - and CO2 uptake - in tropical forests. This is a surprise finding as most researchers predicted that limited phosphorous in the soil would prevent such a growth spurt in nitrogen rich soils. The scientists hope this finding will improve forecasts on global change. Published in the February edition of Ecology.

Other stories:

New Method Detects Fraud in Organically Grown Produce - The nitrogen isotope from the fertilizer gives it away. Published in January-February issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality.

Secret Of The Carnivorous Pitcher Plant’s Slurp — Solved At Last - The complex solution of digestive enzymes in pitcher plants is revealed. Published in the February issue of the Journal of Proteome Research.

News Briefs:

Agricultural Practices Found to Contribute to Bicarbonate in River - The presence of bicarbonate in rivers, which contributes to the river’s pH, are usually the result of the weathering of rocks. However, in the last 50 years, scientists have noticed a substantial increase of bicarbonate in the Mississippi. Why? Modern agricultural practices increase water flow through bicarbonate contains soils, feeding directly into the river.

Scientists To Study High-risk Plant Pathogen Using Small, Unmanned Aircraft- the plant pathogen that caused the Irish Potato Blight can still be a risk to us today. Almost none of the potato varieties on the market are resistant to it. Scientists are now studying how this pathogen could be used as bioterrorism agent by analyzing how it may be spread aerially.

Using DNA, scientists hunt for the roots of the modern potato - 99% of all potato varieties in existence arose from a common ancestor - from Chile. Scientists are using DNA evidence to determine just how a potato variety in Chile gave rise to the world’s potato varieties.

New Genus of Self-Destructive Palm Found in Madagascar - Scientists have discovered a new genus of palm trees in Madagascar that comes with a surprising twist. What’s the twist? Well, there’s two, actually. One, these palm trees are very large (5m palm, 18m high - they can be seen from Google Earth!) and two, they essentially self-destruct once they reach the fruit-bearing stage of their life cycle, dramatically collapsing in a heap. The collapsing results when nutrients stored within the tree are quickly depleted once the tree enters the fruit-bearing stage. Conservationists are trying to find a way to preserve this species of palm, but the tree doesn’t flower very often, and when it does, the end result is quite clear. Madagascar is home to over ten thousand different species of plants, ninety percent of which, like this species of palm, are found only on the small island. The finding is published in Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.

Team Finds an Economical Way to Boost the Vitamin A Content of Maize - Researchers from a number of institutes have developed a new method of screening for plants that contain a naturally occurring mutated enzyme that enhances the provitamin A content. (Provitamin A is converted into vitamin A after being consumed). It is the hope that this new economical method will lead to a decrease in eye diseases and other health problems that are caused by a lack of vitamin A. The new screening procedure involves cost-effective tests such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) that can identify plants that contain the version of the gene that enhances provitamin A content. Research published in Science.

Ecology
Life-saving plants at risk of extinction - Deforestation and urban expansion have remained constant concerns for the last several years. Now, scientists warn that continued habitat loss may lead to the extinction of nearly four hundred medically important plants. It is believed that several of these at risk plants may hold the cures to diseases like cancer or HIV.

Discovery Unlocks Tree Genetics, Gives New Hope for Pine Beetle Defense - Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified some of the genetic secrets that enable various trees to fight off pests and disease. The study was conducted on fir trees in response to a growing concern over the destructive capabilities of the region’s bark beetles. Researchers hope that trees with the increased immunities can be bred and introduced in forests to help strengthen the overall resistance to pests. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Health
Got carrots? Vegetables May Have Bone to Pick as Calcium Providers - Science (and for some, experience) has taught us that eating several carrots daily can change the hue of your skin to a more orange color. Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M University have developed a carrot that allows people to absorb more calcium. While this new benefit might not be able to stop your skin from changing colors, it can help strengthen bones and prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Currently, researchers are working to bring this development to more fruits and vegetables so that people may consume the proper daily amount of fruits and vegetables and obtain the needed daily amount of calcium, presumably without turning orange.

News Briefs
New Technique Thins Excess Blossoms And Boosts Tree Fruit Size - Reducing blossoms leads to larger, more valuable fruit. Researchers from the Agricultural Research Service have developed a method of exposing fruit trees to an essential oil to reduce flower production. This environmentally friendly approach is not only efficient and inexpensive, it may also allow the fruit produced to qualify as ‘organic’.

Reaching for the Sky: A California Project to Clone Redwoods - One of today’s growing concerns revolves around deforestation. As a result, efforts to clone trees and create new forests in England, France, New Zealand, and other countries have been underway. But what about the United States? Dr. William Libby (formerly from the University of California, Berkeley) is taking on the challenge of cloning California Redwood trees to strengthen forests within the United States and other countries. Unlike the cloning of animal cells, scientists will grow a genetically identical plant. To do this, cuttings from the Redwood tree that are four to six inches in length are dipped into a growth-hormone cocktail and then planted in a temperature- and moisture-controlled fog chamber. Nine hundred cuttings have been taken as of now and only twenty cuttings are needed to reforest one acre.

European Forests Absorbing More Carbon Dioxide - Due to reforestation efforts in Europe, it is believed that forests there are absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than previously expected. Between 1990 and 2005, forests in Europe absorbed approximately eleven percent of the region’s carbon emissions. While the European Union was initially trying to reduce emissions by twenty percent by the year 2020, it is believed that with the unexpected levels of emissions absorption from forests that goal could double by 2020.

Evolutionary Biology Research on Plant Shows Significance of Maternal Effects - As winter approaches, we can look to the skies and see flocks of birds migrating south. Other animals are adapted to colder environments with thick fur coats. Humans have the luxury of buying jackets and sweaters or turning on the heater. But what do immobile organisms such as plants do? With global climate changes a high concern, research is underway to see what plants do in response to changes. Findings so far suggest that plants grown in the same setting as their maternal plant perform nearly three and a half times better than those grown in a differing environment. These findings show that plant can overcome differences in the environment because maternal plants give cues to their offspring that aid in adaptation. Published in Science.

Researchers Successfully Simulate Photosynthesis and Design a Better Leaf - One pressing question in crop production revolves around how to increase production while decreasing the amount of fertilizers used. Researchers at the University of Illinois have found an answer by using a computer model that mimics the process of photosynthetic evolution. With this “in silico” approach, researchers are hoping to provide new information on the countless permutations without having to test the more than one hundred known proteins that contribute to photosynthesis. Published in Plant Physiology.

Other News:
Health
Cranberry Sauce: Good For What Ails You - Every Thanksgiving dinner holds a host of foods from breads to pies and to the turkey. But the most important side dish just so happens to be the cranberry sauce. Research now suggests that compounds within cranberries are able to alter E. coli bacteria in ways that prevent the bacterium from
initiating infection within the human body. Scientists are now trying to figure out how
exactly cranberries ward off a wide variety of bacteria, not just E. coli. Anyone up for a glass of cranberry juice?

Alternative Fuels
Through Genetics, Tapping a Tree’s Potential as a Source of Energy - When we think of biofuels like ethanol, images of large cornfields come to mind. But Dr. Vincent L. Chiang (North Carolina State University) has developed transgenic trees that have half the amount of lignin compared to their natural counterparts. Lignin is a chemical compound that interferes with efforts to turn a tree’s cellulose into ethanol. While the advancement looks great for biofuel manufacturers, scientists fear that the large reduction in lignin will lead to less sturdy, more vulnerable trees (lignin aids in structural support and resistance to pests).

Could ‘Hairy Roots’ Become Biofactories? - “Hairy roots” found on the roots of some plants are a type of tumor caused by a bacterial infection. The tumor results in a mass of fuzzy-looking roots near the site of infection. While a nuisance for plants, researchers believe these roots may be capable of producing new medicines more quickly and efficiently than cell cultures. Current research has shown than hairy root cultures can be kept alive for several years whereas cell cultures live for only a few weeks. Published in Biotechnology Progress.

Genes Identified to Protect Brassicas from Damaging Disease - The Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is a virus that infects several cultivated plants, especially broccoli and other closely related plants. This virus comes from the largest family of viruses that infect plants and is known to stunt growth. While TuMV is a devastating virus, a new way to breed members of the brassica family of plants has proven successful in the resistance to this virus. Published in the Journal of General Virology.

Scientists Warn That Species Extinction Could Reduce Productivity of Plants - One of today’s growing concerns is the extinction of species and the effect their extinction will have on the ecosystem. Scientists now predict that species extinction within plant kingdom could reduce productivity on Earth by fifty percent. Mass plant extinction could throw off the regulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which could lead to an increase in global warming. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

News Briefs:

For the fall season:
Those Brilliant Fall Outfits May Be Saving Trees
Why Do Autumn Leaves Turn Red? Soil May Dictate Fall Colors

Ecology:
Preserving Genetic Diversity Of Popular Geranium
Groups Try to Save Sherwood Forest Trees
Arborist Looks to Clone Redwood Trees

Alternative Fuels:
Massachusetts Looks at Using Biofuel in Home Heating Oil