The recent algal blooms on Lake Winnipeg are a prime example of this nitrogen pollution.
Gillespie explained that fungi is great at breaking down lignin in plants and bacteria can help break down the rest
so we are hoping to find out more about the role of fungi in the decomposition of organic matter in soil.
I initially was interested simply in determining how closely timed the calving season was to the onset of vegetation green-up Post explained without a thought as to how this relationship might be affected by climate change.
We believe that the mechanism making these nanotubes more compliant is a tiny kinkiness in their structure said Suresh Sitaraman a professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of technology.
It explains that both types of cancer can be originated by the ingestion of food contaminated with aflatoxins produced by the fungi Aspergilus flavus and A. parasiticus.
and airborne the fungi that produce them are an olive green mold that can be found in refrigerators besides they are very resistant to high temperatures.
when the city of Houston called for ideas about how to get rid of the estimated 5. 6 million cubic yards of fallen trees broken branches
and dead greenery left behind by the storm. The Rice Biochar Group won the $10000 grand prize in the city's Recycle Ike contest
In the lone exception a soil fungus that was typically beneficial to plants began growing so rapidly that it impeded plant growth.
Unlike the fungi that use this communication method in soil the E coli could be grown in clear agar gels in a petri dish
which are formed in dusty nurseries throughout the cosmos. But how the dust interacts with hydrogen
but also in the soil surrounding the plants'roots. These microbes form close often mutualistic associations with their plant hosts.
and nitrogen in plant tissues and soils compared with systems dominated by native plants. Since changes in the soil nitrogen cycle are driven by microbes could bacteria associated with invasive species not only be observed responsible for the changes in soil nutrient concentrations
Subsequent literature searches led to the discovery that sugar cane an agriculturally important crop is a nitrogen fixer that contains bacterial endophytes
By isolating five bacterial strains of endophytes found inside S. halepense rhizomes (subterranean stems used for storage
but that it is also capable of passing them on to the next generation via seeds.
Using a sophisticated series of intricate experiments involving growing seedlings from surface sterilized seeds in nitrogen-deprived
or nitrogen-augmented soils and slurries with different suites of soil microbes Rout and colleagues showed that these microbes enabled the grass to produce 5-fold increases in rhizomes a primary mechanism driving invasions
and phosphorus in the soil and has increased rhizome production and aboveground biomass which in turn facilitates its spread and establishment.
As the citrus psyllid feeds on a leaf it can pick up the bacteria from a diseased tree
These disease-causing bacteria reside in the tree's phloem--the vascular tissue that carries vital nutrients throughout the tree.
The disease affects most citrus species causing yellowing of shoots blotchy and mottled leaves lopsided and poorly colored fruit and loss of viable seeds.
Their analysis confirmed that in infected trees HLB disease caused starch to accumulate in the leaves blocking nutrient transport through the phloem
The indoor setup created a panorama three photos high by seven photos wide of a time-lapse sequence of a quick-growing variety of Brassica rapa plants.
The rapid greening response of the grassland to rainfall is seen easily as well as the response of an individual cholla cactus as its branches become erect due to the rainfall.
silvopastoral systems which include shrubs and trees with edible leaves or fruits as well as herbage. Professor Donald Broom from the University of Cambridge who led the research said:
Consumers are now demanding more sustainable and ethically sourced food including production without negative impacts on animal welfare the environment and the livelihood of poor producers.
Current cattle production mostly occurs on cleared pastures with only herbaceous plants such as grasses grown as food for the cows.
and shrubs as well as the increased use of herbicides all of which result in a dramatic decrease in biodiversity.
and encourages biodiversity using native shrubs and trees. Additionally shrubs and trees with edible leaves and shoots along with pasture plants produce more food for animals per unit area of land than pasture plants alone.
Trees and shrubs have added the benefit of providing shade from hot sun and shelter from rain.
It also reduces stress by enabling the animals to hide from perceived danger. The planting as forage plants of both shrubs
and trees whose leaves and small branches can be consumed by farmed animals can transform the prospects of obtaining sustainable animal production said Professor Broom.
Such planting of'fodder trees'has already been successful in several countries including the plant Chamaecytisus palmensis
which is used now widely for cattle feed in Australia. Another success has been in Colombia where a mixed planting of the shrub Leucaena with a common pasture grass resulted in a 27%increase in dry matter for food and 64%increase of protein production.
When ruminants such as cows goats and sheep are consuming the plants from a silvopastoral system researchers have seen an increase in growth and milk production.
Professor Broom added: It is clear that silvopastoral systems increase biodiversity improve animal welfare and provide good working conditions
#Chinas synthetic gas plants would be powered greenhouse giantscoal synthetic natural gas plants being planned in China would produce seven times more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional natural gas plants
They might see flowers or angels as boring or clich and that's not how they want their work to be represented.
While spontaneous public memorials with flowers and teddy bears sprang up in Newtown Conn. after the mass murders at a school as well as after the Boston Marathon bombings
and sugarcane--are already pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis said Decicco a research professor at the U-M Energy Institute and a professor of practice at the School of Natural resources and Environment.
and stored by natural vegetation. But going beyond R&d and into subsidies mandates and other programs to prop up biofuels is unwarranted he said.
when a genetically modified trait passes from a crop plant to a closely related weed the weed gains the crop s engineered benefit#resistance to pests for example#only in the presence of the offending insects.
This new study is a surprising example of gene flow from crops to weeds that makes weeds more vigorous even without an environmental trigger researchers say.
and then if it happened to cross with a related weed whether it might make the weed more prolific as well#said Allison Snow professor of evolution ecology
and organismal biology at The Ohio State university and a lead author of the paper.##oeit s unusual for any transgene to have such a positive effect on a wild relative
By crossing genetically altered herbicide-resistant rice with weedy rice to mimic what happens naturally in the field the researchers created crop-weed hybrids that grew larger and produced more offspring than unaltered counterparts#even without any herbicide present.
In regulated field experiments the hybrids containing the overexpressed gene produced 48 percent to 125 percent more seeds per plant than did hybrid plants with no modified genes.
They also had higher concentrations of a key amino acid greater photosynthetic rates and better fledgling seed growth than controls#all presumed signs of better fitness in evolutionary terms.#
if a gene gives you a lot more seeds per plant compared to controls it s likely to increase the plants fitness
She has found that genes from crop plants can persist in related weeds over many generations.
In 2002 she led a study that was the first to show that a gene artificially inserted into crop plants to fend off pests could migrate to weeds in a natural environment
and make the weeds stronger. She also has served on national panels that monitor and make recommendations about the release of genetically engineered species into the environment.
She is interested in identifying new possible outcomes of the growth of crop-weed hybrids that contain genetic modifications
#oeit s not always the end of the world if a weed starts to become a lot more common after acquiring a new trait#there may be effective ways to manage that weed#Snow said.#
But now there is a lot of interest in using sorghum for other things such as growing sweet sorghum in areas where they grow sugarcane and growing biomass sorghum for bioenergy through combustion or cellulosic technology.
Sweet sorghum where you squeeze the sugary juice out like sugarcane may be closer on the horizon.
or sugarcane he said. Brown added that with genetic studies and improvements there are other value-added opportunities for sorghum grain.
When the interaction of metals was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy it revealed the creation of a more supportive substrate for the forests to root in.
In wood fallen to the forest floor it controls the rate that fungi advance through the wood cells to cause decay
He is also a leading authority on the biochemistry of brown rot wood-decay fungi
His study of the brown rot fungi led him to study tree defenses at the nanostructure scale.
a toxic protein produced in its leaves and stems which kills pests in a matter of days.
Both the leaves and stems of Bt maize produce this toxin which destroys the gut of any moth larvae eating the plant.
Such perspectives could include a more diverse array of toxins for the control of pest populations possibly supplemented with a biological component such as pathogenic fungi or parasitic wasps.
In contrast the number of community-acquired MRSA rose from 596 in 2011 to 726 in 2012.
Community-acquired MRSA was identified in 726 people compared to 596 in 2011 (an increase of 22%)and cases of pig-type MRSA (CC398) rose by 41%from 164 in 2011 to 232 in 2012.
#Plant community plays key role in controlling greenhouse gas emissions from carbon rich moorlandsdifferent moorland plants particularly heather
and cotton grass can strongly influence climate warming effects on greenhouse gas emissions researchers from Lancaster University The University of Manchester
But the study found that the make-up of the plant community could also play a key role in controlling greenhouse gas emissions from these carbon rich ecosystems as not all vegetation types respond in the same way to warming.
and the composition and diversity of vegetation at the same time allowing the team to study the combined effects of these global change phenomena for the first time.
when heather was present warming increased the amount of CO2 taken up from the atmosphere making the ecosystem a greater sink for this greenhouse gas.
However when cotton grass was present the CO2 sink strength of system decreased with warming and the amount of methane released increased.
What surprised us was that changes in vegetation which can result from land management or climate change itself also had such a strong impact on greenhouse gas emissions
In other words the diversity and make-up of the vegetation which can be altered by the way the land is farmed can completely change the sink strength of the ecosystem for carbon dioxide.
This means that the way we manage peat land vegetation will strongly influence the way that peat land carbon sink strength responds to future climate change.
Changes in vegetation as well as physical changes in climate should be taken into account when looking at how global change affects carbon cycling she added.
and the standing water left behind is the perfect breeding ground for mold spores. Dress to Protect--You don't need to impress
Apple Dogwood Pear Plum Begonia flower#¢Plants and Flowers: Daffodil Lilac Magnolia Rose Sunflowerbe Quick to Clean--Mold and pollen can collect on fallen leaves.
Be sure to rake leaves often and wear a pollen mask while doing so since raking can stir allergens into the air.
Even in roots there is still a relatively small amount of lead compared to for example what we're exposed to from drinking water says Wortman.
By linking bat captures with vegetation measurements from nearby plots the researchers were able to reveal how these animals declined as successive rounds of logging took their toll on forest structure and crucially the availability of tree cavities.
and fungi to evolve into diverse multicellular life forms. Jeffrey Silberman a professor of biological sciences isolated a new unicellular anaerobic eukaryote
Animals plants and fungi are all eukaryotes; that is they have complex cells with organelles such as a nucleus and mitochondria.
Silberman and Brown perform comparative DNA sequence analyses of a type of eukaryote called protists to help find their particular placement or branch on the tree of life.
but unequivocal relative to a supergroup of eukaryotes that include fungi and animals. It provides a glimpse of the various components of cell-to-cell adhesion
But cranberry-growing operations are challenged by weeds which compete for precious resources and often decrease fruit yields and revenues.
Producers currently rely on weed management strategies such as flooding and sanding cranberry beds hand-weeding or applications of pre-and postemergence herbicides.
Recent interest in reducing chemical inputs into cranberry growing systems has led researchers to evaluate alternative methods such as flame cultivation as a potential nonchemical weed control option.
University of Massachusetts scientists Katherine Ghantous Hilary Sandler Wesley Autio and Peter Jeranyama designed a study using flame cultivation techniques for weed control in cranberry crops.
The results published in the July 2013 issue of Hortscience showed promise for integrating the weed control technique into certain situations including organic farming.
The team tested three types of handheld propane torches (one open flame and two styles of infrared torches) and varying exposure times on several species of perennial weeds.
and cost of using an open flame torch for spot control of weeds was similar to that of the common practice of using a wick applicator to apply glyphosate to weeds the researchers noted.
In addition to being as cost-effective as glyphosate wipes the nonfatal response to flame control indicates that it will cause less damage to cranberry plants that are exposed incidentally during spot treatment of weeds than glyphosate.
The experiments determined that flame cultivation could be integrated as a sustainable and economical approach for weed control in some situations.
and would ideally be used as a spot treatment for weeds growing in the cranbstory Source:
We designed a project to quantify the growth of Hibiscus acetosella'Panama Red'in response to various soil water content thresholds explained Bayer.
and chickens along with improved cassava varieties that resist a deadly virus. They also are growing high-value crops like tomatoes onions and watermelons.
Tropical forests thrive on natural nitrogen fertilizer pumped into the soil by trees in the legume family a diverse group that includes beans
which dwell in little pods inside the tree's roots known as root nodules. As a nutrient nitrogen is essential for plant growth
Legumes use secretions to invite rhizobia living in the soil to infect their roots and the bacteria signal back to initiate nodule growth.
#Grassroots action in livestock feeding to help curb global climate changein a series of papers to be presented next week scientists offer new evidence that a potent chemical mechanism operating in the roots of a tropical
and developed a reliable method for detecting the nitrification inhibitor coming from plant roots. Scientists at CIAT then validated the BNI concept in the field demonstrating that Brachiaria grass suppresses nitrification
which transforms itself into a fruiting body: a sterile stalk that holds aloft a sorus a tiny sphere that releases spores that become single amoebae again.
Isolated from decaying leaves collected in a hardwood forest in North carolina in the summer of 1933 Dicty have been used for years to study development and more recently conflict and cooperation.
Leafcutter ants for example carry bacteria that help prevent other fungi from contaminating their fungal gardens.
when farmers carried certain nonedible strains nonfarmer spore production was reduced in some cases by more than half.
If food is abundant nonfarmers alone produce more spores than farmers alone. The reason is that farming is costly.
--if the amoebas are dispersed to a site without a good source--farmers produce more spores than nonfarmers
As the percentage of farmers in the mix increased nonfarmers produced far fewer spores and the spore production of farmers was unchanged.
These results suggest that social amoebas make farming pay much as human farmers all over the world have done by privatizing their crops.
although the Federal trade commission issued a 2009 consumer alert noting that some pollutants are released in production from bamboo stalks.
It is renewable shooting to maturity in a mere four years boasting a vast root system
because it dyes well feels silkier than cotton and is less expensive than silk. Producers of bamboo textiles maintain their products are processed antimicrobial without chemicals non-pollutant biodegradable and recyclable.
Use of pyrethrins derived from chrysanthemum flowers and the related synthetic pyrethroids has been on the increase during the last decade.
They made a mold to create model fish from resin tinted with grey pigment dabbing on eyes with black paint to make them look more realistic.
The tulip tree Liriodendron tulipfera has been considered part of the magnolia family. But David Dilcher of Indiana University Bloomington and Mikhail S. Romanov of the N. V. Tsitsin Main Botanical garden in Moscow show that it is closely related to fossil plant specimens from the Lower Cretaceous period.
The article Fruit structure in Magnoliaceae s l. and Archaeanthus and their relationships appears in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Botany.
Dilcher an IU professor emeritus of geological sciences and biology in the College of Arts and Sciences discovered fossil flowers and fruits resembling those of magnolias
and began working with Romanov who specializes in study of the magnolia family and its relatives.
The researchers used advanced technologies of light scanning electron and polarizing microscopy to develop a more detailed picture of the Archaeanthus flowers fruits and seeds and compare them with the flowers fruits and seeds of contemporary plants.
and seeds not previously detailed that were more similar to those of the tulip tree line of evolution than to the magnolias Dilcher said.
and should be recognized as its own flowering plant family. While the paper provides new insight into the evolution of the tulip tree line questions remain Dilcher said.
Historically Andean cloud forest seedlings sprout higher in elevation during periods of global warming. However an unprecedented rate of projected temperature gain in the region over the next century 5 degrees Celsius will have them going upslope faster than ever before says Miles Silman professor of Biology at Wake Forest University.
Silman says assuming no additional changes in climatic factors other than temperature timberline would need to migrate around 900 meters in elevation to keep pace with the cloud forest beneath it.
The Wake Forest team's research is the first to address rates of Andes timberline migration at high resolution.
#Climate change may speed up forests life cyclesmany climate studies have predicted that tree species will respond to global warming by migrating via seed dispersal to cooler climates.
#In odd-looking mutant, clues about how maize plants control stem cell numberin plants the growth of organs such as roots leaves
and flowers depends upon the activity of meristems. These reservoir-like compartments hold stem cells
and a cell-surface receptor that is a part of the CLAVATA signaling pathway known to control stem cell activation.
Contrary to prior assumptions based on examples in mammals and yeast the new research suggests that in plants GÎ
The idea that GÎ interacts with a single-pass trans membrane receptor called FEA2 is at odds with the dogma that in yeast
and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) who use different strains of fungi and bacteria to promote development
We proved that in a period of three years oaks pines mesquites and acacias between two and three meters high can be obtained
He also explains that the beneficial bacteria are located in the immediate area surrounding the root
The fungi that provide benefits says Olalde Portugal are called the myccorrhizal. When in contact with the roots a biochemical communication starts that allows the trees to adapt with no problems
when transplanted. Besides the microorganism is responsible for exploring the ground beyond the reach of the roots
and brings them useful elements for their development like phosphorus . In addition the specialist stresses that the plant with myccorrhizal fungi perform photosynthesis in a more efficient way using less water than those who don't have the association.
At the same time all physiological processes change resulting in rapid developing trees. However not all bacteria or fungi perform with the same efficiency.
For this reason a very important part of the research consisted in selecting the best strains specific for oaks pines mesquites acacias and fruit trees.
Afterwards we looked for the ideal conditions to impulse their massive propagation says the expert.
but also with agave and nopal that are specific to arid areas. This part of the project is done in collaboration with Guanajuato University.
Burlingame described how Allylix used proprietary technology to develop a way of producing valencene from yeast growing in industrial fermentation vats.
and other food crops and toward corn cobs stalks and other non-food plant material.
Brown pointed out that corn stalks corn cobs and other plant material not used for food production would be better sources of ethanol.
They season the wood for barrels and dry it outside or indoors a step that exposes it to fungi and bacteria.
Spirits from various combinations of rye corn wheat malted barley and--more recent additions to the whiskey repertoire--oat and millet are added to the barrels.
#New weapons on the way to battle wicked weedsa somber picture of the struggle against super-weeds emerged today as scientists described the relentless spread of herbicide-resistant menaces like pigweed
and horseweed that shrug off powerful herbicides and have forced farmers in some areas to return to the hand-held hoes that were a mainstay of weed control a century ago.
The reports on herbicide resistance and its challenges and how modern agriculture is coping were part of a symposium on the topic at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) the world's largest scientific society.
Costs of weed control have doubled or more in some areas and crop yields have suffered according to experts.
The problems associated with herbicide-resistant weeds are spreading and intensifying especially weed species resistant to multiple products including the mainstay of 21st century agriculture the herbicide glyphosate said Bryan Young Ph d. who spoke at the symposium.
More than 200 individual weed species have been confirmed resistant to at least a single herbicide with infestations covering millions of acres in the United states and 60 other countries.
It is spreading beyond soybeans and cotton. Weed management in corn has become more and more difficult in recent years due to herbicide-resistant weeds.
Farmers he pointed out are not battling the mild-mannered dandelion or snow thistle that home gardeners visualize at the mention of weed.
Rather the battle involves nightmares like Palmer amaranth pigweed which has been termed the master blueprint for the perfect weed.
Under good conditions Palmer amaranth grows an inch or more a day to heights approaching 10 feet with a stem tough enough to damage farm equipment.
It crowds out crops and drains moisture and nutrients from the soil. Resistant plants thrive
despite multiple soakings with glyphosate and a single plant may produce almost 1 million seeds to perpetuate the menace.
Young said that growers are responding to such challenges by integrating alternative herbicides into their weed control programs herbicides that work a different way
and thus sidestep the resistance. They also are turning to herbicides that have residual activity in the soil preventing weed seeds from growing into a new generation of weeds.
When those measures fail farmers are turning to cover crops to block weed growth and tilling the soil to kill emerged weeds
or bury viable seeds deep below the soil surface. Herbicides however remain the most effective tools for managing weeds in terms of overall control and for cost efficiency Young emphasized.
They have other benefits such as reducing the need for plowing and other soil tillage --which is costly in terms of energy use
and may contribute to soil erosion. And a number of products are on the way to help. They include new herbicide formulations that work in ways that sidestep the resistance mechanisms in today's weeds.
And they include crop seeds with genetic traits that enable farmers to apply herbicides to their fields without harming the crops.
We must remember that herbicides or herbicide-resistant crop traits don't create herbicide-resistant weeds Young said.
Rather the use and management of these technologies to gain control of weeds by practitioners determines the risk of herbicide-resistant weeds evolving.
We need to be better stewards of herbicides to reduce the impact of herbicide-resistant weed species. Story Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by American Chemical Society (ACS. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
Overtext Web Module V3.0 Alpha
Copyright Semantic-Knowledge, 1994-2011