Volume 3 Issue 2, February 2017

In 1916, Swedish geologist Ernst Jakob Lennart von Post delivered a provocative lecture in Oslo, Norway, advocating the use of pollen grains in bog sediments as indicators of past vegetation and climate. The lecture spawned many applications and represents a landmark in multidisciplinary science.

Phosphorus removal during grain harvest creates severe challenges for sustainable agriculture. Modification of a phosphorus transporter provides a potential strategy to tackle this problem.

Carnivory, the ability of plants to attract, catch, kill and digest insects to obtain nutrients, has evolved independently several times in plant evolution. A comprehensive analysis of the genome, transcriptome and proteome of prey digestion in a pitcher plant shows how carnivory in plants is the product of convergent evolution.

Application of pathogen-specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) was proposed as an approach against plant viruses. However, the instability of dsRNA hampers its application. Now, a study has used clay nanosheets to deliver dsRNA and obtain sustained protection against viruses.

A Catharanthus roseus tonoplast-localized transporter has been identified and characterized to export strictosidine, the central intermediate of terpene and alkaloid biosynthesis pathways, from the vacuole to the cytosol.

Data from 2,201 interviews in 68 South American communities show that the use of palms (Arecaceae) is linked to function and geography. Plant size and location are stronger predictors of utilization for basic needs than less-basic ones, such as ritual uses.

Polarity establishment during the first zygote asymmetrical division is explored in the brown algae Dictyota. Through transcriptomics and cytological observations, the authors uncover a novel polarization process based on two steps that are controlled by different cues.

High-quality draft genomes have been generated for the two commercially cultivated jute species, Corchorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis. Transcriptome analyses revealed key regulatory and structural genes involved in fibre formation.

Sown grassland mesocosms involving eight common plant species were provided different forms of phosphorus. Individual species used organic and inorganic phosphate differently, with their success relating to acquisition of a specific form of phosphorus.

The PsbS protein is essential in triggering non-photochemical quenching. Antibody pull-down assays show that a combination of ΔpH and zeaxanthin increases PsbS binding to specific minor proteins in the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II.