All Soil & Plant Science articles – Page 3
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NewsBacterial strains from Himalayan night-soil compost support plant growth in crops
Researchers have isolated a consortium of bacterial strains from night-soil compost in a Himalayan valley that support plant growth in wheat and maize, offering promise as a bioinoculant for sustainable agriculture in cold semiarid conditions.
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CareersMeet the Global Ambassadors: Our Q&A with Ashley Shade
The Microbiologist chats with our new Global Ambassador for France, Ashley Shade, who is Director of Research with Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) at the Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1.
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NewsCofitness network connectivity determines a fuzzy essential zone in open bacterial pangenome
Based on a robust Tn-seq analysis of independent mariner transposon insertion libraries of Sinorhizobium strains, scientists have identified a strain-dependent variation in the fitness network of the Sinorhizobium pangenome under a nutrient-rich condition.
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NewsPlant prebiotics offer new ally in the fight against pathogens
Disruptions to the community of microbes that live inside the leaves of a spindly plant called <i>Arabidopsis</i> can compromise a plant’s ability to tell harmless invaders from harmful ones – effectively turning the plant’s defensive arsenal against itself.
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NewsRamie rhizosphere study unveils secrets of the volcano
Volcanic soil plays a key role in the formation of microbial community diversity and subsequently influences the diversity of microorganisms residing in the rhizosphere of Boehmeria nivea L.
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NewsSoil pH is driver of microbial community composition - and need to address toxicity shapes the community
Researchers have determined through both statistical analysis and in experiments that soil pH is a driver of microbial community composition – but the need to address toxicity released during nitrogen cycling ultimately shapes the final microbial community.
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NewsScientists to explore role soil microbes play in helping hemlocks survive woolly adelgid
Scientists are investigating why some stands of Eastern hemlock are able to resist a non-native, hemlock-loving invasive species known as the hemlock woolly adelgid which is wiping out the trees throughout the East Coast of the U.S.
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NewsFungal foe fended off: DNA demethylation boosts tomato resistance
A recent study discovered that applying 5-Azacytidine, a DNA methylation inhibitor, significantly reduces tomato susceptibility to gray mold, a common postharvest fungal disease.
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NewsAttenuated viruses could be used to enhance crop performance
Researchers propose using viruses as vehicles for crop improvement, an approach established in human therapies but little explored in agriculture.
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NewsStudy reveals how pathogen breaches plant defences by hijacking plant protein
A recent study has uncovered how the pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum disrupts plant defenses through its type III effector RipAF1.
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NewsThe apple’s battle plan: Unraveling the molecular response to fungal infections
A new study reveals critical insights into how apple trees respond to Glomerella leaf spot (GLS), a severe fungal disease impacting apple yields, and offers promising pathways for breeding disease-resistant apple varieties.
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NewsClimate change increases foodborne illness risk from raw produce
New research shows that bacterial leaf spot of lettuce and high humidity promote Salmonella enterica growth in lettuce, and climate change is predicted to increase humid periods.
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NewsFighting fungal foes: Walnut’s genetic armor against anthracnose revealed
A pivotal study has pinpointed a gene module crucial for enhancing walnut trees’ resistance to anthracnose, a widespread fungal disease threatening the walnut industry.
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NewsChloroplast manipulation: A new strategy in pathogen warfare uncovered
A cutting-edge study shows how a pathogen’s effector protein circumvents plant defenses, targeting the chloroplast protein StFC-II, increasing its levels in chloroplasts and reducing the plant’s ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS).
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NewsFungal discovery changes the way we understand Charles Darwin’s most beloved plant – the sundew
A new study has uncovered a symbiotic relationship that has evolved between Darwin’s favourite carnivorous plant and a specific type of fungus which lives inside it and helps it digest its prey.
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CareersMeet the Global Ambassadors: Our Q&A with Suni Mathew
The Microbiologist chats with our new Global Ambassador for Finland, Suni Mathew, a senior researcher at the University of Turku who studies the effects of heavy metal pollution on plant-associated microbial communities in Arctic ecosystems.
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NewsNew method pinpoints virus that targets Ecuador fruit crop
Scientists in Ecuador have developed a new method to detect and diagnose a virus that devastates crops of babaco, a fruit plant of economic importance to local farmers.
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NewsThe banana apocalypse is near, but biologists might have found a key to their survival
Fusarium wilt of banana is decimating the Cavendish banana—the world’s most popular commercially available banana. New research reveals that this strain did not evolve from the strain that wiped out commercial banana crops in the 1950s.
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NewsCould manure and compost act like probiotics, reducing antibiotic resistance in urban soils?
Urban soils often contain chemical contaminants or trace amounts of antibiotics, along with higher levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. New research suggests that boosting urban soil health with compost and treated manure may reduce the amount of ’bad’ bacteria.
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NewsNew method for protection from plant pathogens could help support global food security.
By modifying a plant intracellular immune receptor (NLR), researchers have developed a potential new strategy for resistance to rice blast disease, one of the most important diseases threatening global food security. The collaborative team from the UK and Japan have recently published their research in PNAS. This could have implications ...
