http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/seeds/ Seed news and science. Learn about healthy seeds, salads in space, genetically modified seeds and more. Read surprising science news articles on seeds. en-us Thu, 22 May 2008 16:05:01 EDT Thu, 22 May 2008 16:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/seeds/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145412.htm Evidence of physically similar species hidden within plant tissues suggest that diversity of neotropical herbivorous insects may not simply be a function of plant architecture, but may also reflect the great age and area of the neotropics. Wed, 21 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521101458.htm A new peanut variety may help farmers in their battle against two key peanut problems. Peanuts are a very popular commodity, with annual U.S. production well above 2 billion pounds. But peanut varieties are plagued by pests like the peanut root-knot nematode and diseases like tomato spotted wilt virus. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521101458.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513140127.htm Move over "Longface", "Spooktacular" and "Trickster" -- there's a new face in the pumpkin patch. Researchers recently introduced "Orange Bulldog," a new variety of the familiar fall fruit that may soon be available to consumers and wholesale pumpkin growers. Thu, 15 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513140127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513140134.htm A recent study offers new information that can help schools and contractors get outdoor athletic fields ready for fall sports more quickly. Certain blends of grass work better than others. Wed, 14 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513140134.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222429.htm Scientists have discovered how to keep one's tomatoes from wilting -- the answer lies at the molecular level. Farmers and fellow agriculturalists are continuously battling the ability of plant pathogens to co-evolve alongside their host's immune system. In agriculture, the most environmentally friendly way to combat the evolutionary change in plant diseases is to make use of the innate immune system of plants. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm Walking through the last rainforests on the volcanic island of Mauritius, located some 800 km east of Madagascar, one is surrounded by ghosts. Since human colonisation in the 17th century, the island has lost most of its unique animals. The litany includes the famous flightless dodo, giant tortoises, parrots, pigeons, fruitbats, and giant lizards. It is comparatively easy to notice the los­­s of a species, but much more difficult to realise how many interactions have been lost as a result. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103117.htm Hot and barren, Kenya's dry lands have long been unfit for agriculture, at best merely a grazing area for wild animals and livestock. Today, the landscape is more picturesque and productive, lined with golden stalks of wheat yielding precious grain for Kenya´s farms and families. The wheat is a new variety, one that is high yielding and resistant to drought. As a result, small farming families are realizing harvests on farmlands once considered too poor to cultivate, to the country´s social and economic benefit. Wed, 07 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504195011.htm Native, possibly giant, earthworm science in the Pacific Northwest is advancing with the discovery of two new specimens from opposite sides of the interior Columbia River basin. University of Idaho soil scientist Jodi Johnson-Maynard, an associate professor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, said an earthworm that was most likely a giant Palouse earthworm was found in early March near Moscow. Mon, 05 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504195011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171324.htm Nitric oxide has emerged as an important signaling molecule in plants as in mammals, including people. In studies of a tropical medicinal herb as a model plant, researchers have found that nitric oxide targets a number of proteins and enzymes in plants. Mon, 05 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428133928.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rain forests were cut down, researchers are attempting what many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rain forest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle pastures in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees in the early 1990s, native species of plants began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rain forests could one day be replaced. Ten years after the tree plantings, researchers counted the species of plants that took up residence in the shade of the new planted areas. They found remarkably high numbers of species -- more than 100 in each plot. And many of the new arrivals were also to be found in nearby remnants of the original forests. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428133928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Florida State University have confirmed evidence of domesticated sunflower in Mexico -- 4,000 years before what had been previously believed. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427194945.htm Nitric oxide has emerged as an important signaling molecule in plants -- as in mammals, including people. In studies of a tropical medicinal herb as a model plant, researchers have found that nitric oxide targets a number of proteins and enzymes in plants. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427194945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm German scientists are engaging bats to kick-start natural reforestation in the tropics by installing artificial bat roosts in deforested areas. The researchers report that the deployment of artificial bat roosts significantly increases seed dispersal of a wide range of tropical forest plants into their surroundings, providing a simple and cheap method to speed up natural forest regeneration. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424165309.htm Conditions are ripe for another large red tide bloom in New England waters; weather and current patterns will determine outcome. The end of April usually brings the first signs of harmful algae in New England waters, and this year, researchers are preparing for the worst. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424165309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422203305.htm "Don't eat the green parts of tomatoes, cut the green off the potatoes." Any child would know that eating these parts of vegetables is a bad idea. The reason behind this is that they contain secondary plant compounds which may have detrimental effects on the consumer. Each night, tropical fruit-eating bats ingest large amounts of secondary plant compounds with their food. This may become particularly problematic for pregnant or lactating bat mothers, since secondary plant compounds may damage the embryo or the juvenile. Biologists have now found evidence that fruit-eating bats take up large amounts of mineral rich water and clay from so-called mineral licks to detoxify the secondary plant compounds they ingest in fruits. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422203305.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112906.htm Agricultural geneticists have released "Purple Bounty," the first winter-hardy, early-flowering vetch for the northern United States. Until now, hairy vetch -- a cover crop and weed-suppressing mulch favored particularly by organic farmers -- had limited use north of Maryland because it copes poorly with northern winters. But Purple Bounty has survived winters as far north as upstate New York. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420110157.htm Some people comb through neighborhood yard sales and secondhand stores to find that one-of-a-kind treasure. Agricultural Research Service plant geneticists used similar tactics --- but on a much larger scale --- in his search for distinctive varieties of Carolina collards. Collard, a cole crop related to broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, has always been a local staple in the South. But its commercial cultivation expanded dramatically in the 20th century, and is now dominated by a few hybrid varieties. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420110157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405094818.htm A new bahiagrass may provide forage growers with a better shot at beating back weeds before they gain a stranglehold on forage pastures. Agricultural scientists have now developed a cultivar called "TifQuik" that would do just that. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405094818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403125601.htm Those spindly plants that desperately try to reach for a break in the canopy formed by larger plants all suffer from the same affliction: Shade avoidance syndrome or SAS. Now, the molecular details of SAS have been brought to light. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403125601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402151409.htm Scientists have provided the first description of a fungus responsible for the wilt of redbay trees along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Plant pathologists have now provided results from their assessment of the fungus, the beetle that carries it, and their combined effect on redbay and other members of the laurel family, including sassafras, spicebush and avocado. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402151409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rainforests were cut down, researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute took on a project that many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rainforest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle fields in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees, native species began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rainforests can one day be replaced. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325142228.htm Three new safflower germplasm lines are now available for improving the oilseed crop's winter survival, or "hardiness." Safflower is primarily grown for three products: oil, meal and birdseed. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325142228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314112235.htm Scientists may gain a new insight into the relationship between viruses and their environments thanks to a new computational technology. This technology has already been used to identify subtle differences in the metabolic processes of microbial communities. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314112235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311093345.htm The larvae of pollinating wasps in the inner flowers of figs are safe from parasitic wasps. Parasites may contribute to stability in the fig-pollinator mutualism because outer flowers avoided by pollinators tend to develop into seeds. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311093345.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305105157.htm Spring in the Rockies begins when the snowpack melts. But with the advent of global climate change, the snow is gone sooner. Some of the region's wildflowers are blooming less because of it. Three flowers found in the Rockies are far more susceptible to late frost damage when the snow melts more quickly. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305105157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227174936.htm US farmers plant corn much earlier today than ever before and it seems to be paying off, at least in the north. Earlier plantings could account for up to half of the yield gains seen in some parts of the northern corn belt since the late 1970s. Sat, 01 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227174936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226092753.htm The Svalbard Global Seed Vault has opened on a remote island in the Arctic Circle, receiving inaugural shipments of 100 million seeds that originated in over 100 countries. With the deposits ranging from unique varieties of major African and Asian food staples such as maize, rice, wheat, cowpea, and sorghum to European and South American varieties of eggplant, lettuce, barley, and potato, the first deposits into the seed vault represent the most comprehensive and diverse collection of food crop seeds being held anywhere in the world. Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226092753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213133316.htm Garlic mustard has become an invasive species in temperate forests across the United States, choking out native plants on forest floors and threatening ecosystem diversity. Ecologists have now created a computer model that in combination with quarantined research tests he believes will be able to predict the perfect predator -- a pest that can be introduced into a forested area that will help reduce the garlic mustard population. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213133316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212195324.htm People expect a lot from cotton. Consumers want durable, comfortable fabrics. Producers want easy-to-manufacture textiles. And growers want hardy, thriving plants. Plant geneticists have now bred new cotton lines with qualities to please growers, fabric manufacturers and consumers. Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212195324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201134903.htm Changing and growing markets have renewed interest and research on guayule and lesquerella, two native Big Bend plants that might be grown in Texas. The reason guayule is back on the forefront now is medical products. Many people are allergic to natural rubber products, but guayule rubber does not seem to cause the allergic reactions. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201134903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080126082643.htm A herd of hungry cattle isn't a pretty sight. So scientists are developing forage grasses that provide nutritious forage to livestock in the southern Great Plains, US, throughout the year. A key goal of this work is producing both warm-season and cool-season forage grasses that can live for long periods on highly erodible lands. Candidates need to be able to withstand major challenges from extended dry spells, insect pests and plant diseases. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080126082643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122203028.htm At the end of January, more than 200,000 crop varieties from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East -- drawn from vast seed collections maintained by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research -- will be shipped to a remote island near the Arctic Circle, where they will be stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a facility capable of preserving their vitality for thousands of years. Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122203028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080106133713.htm Oregon farmers have been growing black raspberries for more than a century for making jams, beverages, desserts, and natural colorants. A source of nutritious anthocyanins, other antioxidants, and vitamin A, black raspberries have many potential health benefits. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080106133713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071215202517.htm There is something out there, and what a professor and his students are finding is surprising them. They are evaluating the quality of Interstate 70 as a small mammal habitat from the Indiana state line to Marshall, Illinois. They are finding mice and other rodents that call the medians, triangles and roadsides home. Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071215202517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213145822.htm Scientists have identified a molecule that may govern how the circadian clock in plants responds to environmental changes. The researchers have discovered that a signaling molecule, known to be important for environmental stress signaling in plants, also regulates their circadian clock. They believe that the molecule may therefore incorporate information about environmental changes into the biological clock that regulates the physiology of plants. The research dramatically changes our current understanding of the circadian clock and may have important implications for the agricultural community. Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213145822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071208173454.htm Seeds from birthwort (Aristolochia clematis), a plant which grows in wheat fields in the Balkan region and which has been used throughout Europe and Asia as an herbal remedy for 2000 years, is contaminating the wheat grain, leading to a devastating kidney disease affecting rural residents in that region. Sun, 09 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071208173454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126162522.htm A pasture improvement research program features looking at summer-dormant tall fescue grasses as an alternative to winter wheat pastures. The climate is changing and the fescue is reliable in the warmer, drier weather now experienced in the Great Plains region of the US. Tue, 04 Dec 2007 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126162522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071128103549.htm Grape-seed extract is a viable natural alternative to synthetic ingredients that preserve meat quality in pre-cooked, frozen and refrigerated ready-to-eat meals, such as individual diet entrees or family-sized trays of frozen lasagna, according to a new study. Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071128103549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130200450.htm Scientists have identified the virus that causes great damage in tomato cultivation in Mexico where the disease is known as 'Marchitez', which means 'withered'. The name of the new virus is tomato marchitez virus. The virus was found to be related to the tomato torrado virus. Identification of the virus now makes it possible for breeding companies to develop cultivars with resistance to the virus. Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130200450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126170900.htm Botantists have shed light on what Charles Darwin called the "abominable mystery" of early plant evolution. The analyses also confirmed that a unique species of plant called Amborella, found only on the Pacific island of New Caledonia, represents the earliest diverging lineage of flowering plants. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126170900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071123202701.htm Invasive plants are rapidly becoming a threat to wildlands. One of the ways these aliens are dispersed is through large mammals that forage and excrete seeds in new locations. A new study has found horses to be a source of dispersal along recreational trails in Colorado. Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071123202701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164134.htm Plants grown in the same setting as their maternal plant performed almost 3.5 times better than those raised in a different environment -- indicating that maternal plants give cues to their offspring that help them adapt to their environmental conditions. Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164134.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071117103531.htm Populations of fruit-eating bats may be supported by the additional mineral intake at salt licks, and since fruit-eating bats are major seed dispersers in tropical rainforests, mineral licks may have a strong, though indirect impact on plant biodiversity in the tropics. Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071117103531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115202541.htm Refrigeration units began pumping chilly air deep into an Arctic mountain cavern today, launching the innovative and critical "cooling down" phase of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in advance of its official opening early next year as a fail-safe repository of the world's vital food crops. Svalbard is now three days into the three-month "Polar Night" period when there is 24 hours of complete darkness. Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115202541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071109214121.htm Ready-to-eat meats are popular with consumers. But after the initial food processing, they are also vulnerable to recontamination by pathogenic bacteria. A solution turns out to be an application of an antimicrobial-incorporated edible film coating that will fend off the pathogens. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071109214121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107100929.htm Working to create a new drought-resistant and water-saving wildflower, scientists at have introduced 'Raider Amethyst,' a new cultivar of common prairie verbena. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107100929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026162420.htm Researchers at New Mexico State University recently discovered the world's hottest chile pepper. Bhut Jolokia, a variety of chile pepper originating in Assam, India, has earned Guiness World Records' recognition as the world's hottest chile pepper by blasting past the previous champion Red Savina. Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026162420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024110420.htm Could some of the natural chemicals found in plants be powerful enough to improve cardiovascular health? Researchers are conducting a clinical study to evaluate the potential cardiovascular health effects of Nature's pearl muscadine grape seed supplement. Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024110420.htm