Plant Cuttings
New journal
A timely boost to much of the research showcased in the previous items – about the UKPSF’s conference earlier in 2012 – should come from BioMed Central’
annals-of-botany
Parental environment and seed response to karrikinolide
Seeds from different populations of the same species often show distinct germination responses to the smoke-derived chemical karrikinolide (KAR1), thus limiting its potential for use
Plant Cuttings
Generating the next generation
My last few posts have looked at the exciting science that was presented recently at the UKPSF conference. How can we ensure there will be a
annals-of-botany
Contemporary gene flow in Arabis alpina
Gene flow is important in counteracting the divergence of populations but also in spreading genes among populations. Buehler et al. describe the effective mating system and
annals-of-botany
Flower development in Balsaminaceae
Balsaminaceae consist of two genera, the monospecific Hydrocera and its species-rich sister Impatiens; however, morphological support for the current molecular phylogeny of Balsaminaceae is low.
Plant Cuttings
Thinking inside the box
The most intriguing presentation of the UKPSF conference was by Charlie Paton (Seawater Greenhouse Ltd). Essentially, his view was ‘Water crisis? What water crisis?’. The water
annals-of-botany
Sugar metabolism and transport in the pod wall and seed
Co-ordination of sugar transport and metabolism between developing seeds and their enclosing fruit tissues is little understood. Liu et al. examine physiological mechanisms using two
Plant Cuttings
Don’t ignore the roots… or the soil!
Lab experiments are all well and good, but they do have their limitations. It is necessary to study plants outside, in the field – or rather below
annals-of-botany
Contrasting flooding tolerance strategies in Rorippa
Differential responses of closely related species to submergence can provide insights into the evolution and mechanisms of submergence tolerance. Akman et al. study two species of
Plant Cuttings
New crops?
Back at the UKPSF conference, marker-assisted selection (MAS) was explored by Ian Graham (Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, University of York) in considering molecular breeding
annals-of-botany
Cyanogenesis and tissue damage in rubber tree
Cyanogenesis can act as defence against herbivores and the amount of HCN generated per unit time is crucial in its role as a feeding deterent. Kadow
annals-of-botany
Molecular phylogenetics of Eurasian Aster
The classification and phylogeny of Eurasian (EA) Aster remain poorly resolved. Li et al. use nrDNA ITS, and ETS and cpDNA trnL-F sequences to delimit