Biology Botany

Researchers in Malaysia are using the chemistry of natural products for sustainable health and energy solutions.

Scientists from Hokkaido University and colleagues have identified a pathway that accelerates plant flowering in low-nitrogen soils — a finding that could help enhance agricultural production.

Rice has long been a staple food for more than half the global population. The United Nations even declared 2004 the International Year of Rice to raise awareness and encourage action to protect and advance the crop for a rapidly growing population. The genetic guidance rice uses to grow and reproduce, however, is still not fully understood. Now, a research team based in Japan is learning more, including how critical one gene is for the plant to develop grains of rice, which serve as both seeds and food.

Giants in History: Rapee Sagarik (4 December 1922 – 17 February 2018) was Thailand’s renowned expert on orchids. Sagarik dedicated his career to the research of native orchids in Thailand.

Giants in History: Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping (7 September 1930 – 22 May 2021) developed the first varieties of the high-yield, hybrid rice that brought food security to multiple countries including China, which had been ravaged by food shortages as recently as the mid-20th century.

Scientists from Japan, Europe and the USA have described a pathway leading to the accelerated flowering of plants in low-nitrogen soils. These findings could eventually lead to increases in agricultural production.

Living beings need elements to develop properly. The study of ionomics measures and analyses the element accumulations in living organisms to determine which mineral nutrients are required and not required for growth. Associate Professor Toshihiro Watanabe from Hokkaido University’s Research Faculty of Agriculture applies this approach to learn about mineral accumulation in both plants and soil, in addition to inter-element interactions.

Scientists at Hokkaido University and Chiba University have developed simultaneous triploid and hexaploid varieties of Haemanthus albiflos by the application of endosperm culture, thus extending the use of this technique.

A team of scientists from Hokkaido University has suggested that marimo maintain their characteristic spherical shape due to the rarity of the formation of reproductive cells.

Environmental changes trigger tiny RNA segments to modify plant pores involved in photosynthesis.

A research team from the Centre for Genomic Studies on Plant-Environment Interaction for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security recently found that some non-coding RNA can produce very short proteins (small peptides), which play an important role in regulating organismal development and stress resistances. The findings challenge the very definition of non-coding RNAs and may open a new research path for future drug and crop improvement. The research article has been published in the journal Plant Physiology. (See note)

Jellyfish are animals that possess the unique ability to regenerate body parts. A team of Japanese scientists has now revealed the cellular mechanisms that give jellyfish these remarkable "superpowers."

The leaf shapes of certain species of the Isodon group of flowering plants act as deterrents against a leaf-rolling weevil, according to a paper published in Nature Plants.

An analysis of the chemical signals sent out by rice plants under attack by the brown planthopper could help in the natural control of this insect pest.

Desert bacteria protect food crops from salt toxicity.

Discovery of a hypersensitive suicide germination stimulant.

Researchers from the School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have discovered that the natural compounds found in two orchid species can effectively lighten skin and protect it from damage.

Researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have identified the gene related to the greenish flower mutation in the Habenaria orchid.

Adding certain types of bacteria to soil could help protect plants against drought by activating a proton pump in root cells.

Although water is essential for plant growth, excessive amounts can waterlog and kill a plant. In South and Southeast Asia, where periodic flooding occurs during the rainy season, the water depth can reach several meters for many months.

Bacteria isolated from desert plants could provide the key to maintaining productive agriculture in arid regions.

Researchers discover gold nanoparticles in natural plant tissues.

Controlling plant pore openings for drought tolerance and delay in leaf withering

Researchers at University of Malaya, Malaysia, have unveiled the various potential of regionally available non-edible oil-bearing plants.

Researchers at Tohoku University have found that plants activate autophagy in their leaf cells to derive amino acids that are used for survival under energy-starved “hunger” conditions. The findings show that amino acid utilization in plants can be controlled by the manipulation of autophagy.

Researchers identify and synthesize a sugar chain critical for plant fertilization. They call it AMOR.

~ Solving the cocrystal structure of a pollen tube attractant and its receptor ~

Discovery of small molecules that increases the number of stomata on plant leaves

The molecular mechanism behind root regeneration after root cutting in plants has been discovered. A finding which could lead to the development of new methods for regulating plant growth in agriculture and horticulture.

Plants can reprogram their genetic material to mount a defensive response against pathogens, which may have applications for agriculture.