Plant scientists have used a standard "gene gun" since 1988 to genetically modify crops for better yield, nutrition, pest resistance and other valuable traits. Subscribe to our newsletter for the ...

Plant genetics and breeding are at the heart of sustainable agriculture, food security, and biodiversity conservation. As global challenges such as climate change, population growth, and shifting ...

A genetic master map of ancient grasses could be the key to future-proofing global food supplies, according to a new study ...

Biological functions, resource availability, and evolutionary processes often play a key role in determining the expression of genetic traits and their correlations. In fact, several plant traits are ...

If left to their own devices, strawberry runners can ruin slow up a healthy crop. New research aims to find the parts of DNA that control runner growth.

Thorns in different plant species have always been an interesting subject for botanists. Be it rose plants or cactus, they ...

Researchers have published a simple trick that improves the accuracy of techniques that help us understand how external variables -- such as temperature -- affect gene activity in plants. Researchers ...

LA JOLLA (October 10, 2025)—Joseph Ecker, PhD, has been awarded the 2026 Barbara McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies from the Maize Genetics Cooperation, a global organization of ...

As the human population continues to explode, the need for efficient crop growth also expands. While there have been great strides in plant genetics and modification, there is still much to be learned ...

Miscanthus species are bioenergy crops because they require lower nutrient concentrations to achieve more growth. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer Plants often develop communities with microorganisms in ...

Knowing why something happens is one thing. Knowing how it happens is another. Supported by a research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Jennifer Blake-Mahmud of the Hope College ...

SEED ISN’T STATIC. Since the dawn of agriculture, attentive farmers and gardeners have sown, selected and saved seed from the most productive and resilient plants as a strategy for survival. Whether ...