annals-of-botany
New alleles for Waxy genes in spelt wheat
Waxy proteins are responsible for amylose synthesis in wheat seeds. Guzman et al. amplify and sequence waxy genes in European spelt, Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta and
annals-of-botany
A molecular marker of seed ageing
Prolonged storage generally reduces seed viability and vigour, although the rate of deterioration varies among species and environmental conditions. Garza-Caligaris et al. find that expression
annals-of-botany
Sexual organ reciprocity in distylous primroses
The main morphological characteristic of heterostyly is the reciprocal placement of anthers and stigmas in two distinct floral morphs; however, the partitioning of reciprocity within and
Plant Cuttings
Tentacular spectacular
All plants are fascinating, but some are more fascinating than others (to misquote George Orwell, English novelist and journalist). And what is more fascinating than a
Uncategorized
A Slice of the Wheat Genome
Considered by some to be the Mount Everest of crop genomes, the challenging wheat genome is close to being scaled. An international team has produced a
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How do cacti have sex?
You might think the answer is "very carefully", but in the case of Opuntia fragilis, it turns out to be "not at all&
annals-of-botany
Seed ageing at elevated oxygen pressure
Subjecting seeds to elevated oxygen concentrations may provide a novel method for studying ageing processes. Groot et al. test this hypothesis by storing dry seed of
Plant Cuttings
The fruit-fly and the cactus
Aesop (slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece 620–560 BC(E)) is credited with many fables that delivered morality tales, etc.
annals-of-botany
Rate heterogeneity of holoparasitic Balanophora
The substitution rates of chloroplast and mitochondria genes sometimes show tremendous variation in parasitic plants, but it is unclear if this is also true for nuclear
annals-of-botany
Gene flow in mountain environments
Responses of high-mountain plant species to global change are highly influenced by the genetic background of the species, including genetic diversity or gene flow between
annals-of-botany
Seed dormancy distribution and ecology
In sea beet, Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima, seed dormancy largely controls germination timing, is highly heritable and varies geographically; climate might select for this trait. Wagmann
Plant Cuttings
Waste not, want not…
A little while ago we looked at auxotrophic algae getting a helping hand from bacteria; now we’ll take a look at ‘proper plants’ that get