latest research topics in botany

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Plant sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

Plant sciences is the study of plants in all their forms and interactions using a scientific approach.

Deciphering the molecular mechanism of photosystem I assembly in land plants

Photosystem I (PSI) and PSII are two large pigment–protein complexes that are responsible for converting solar energy into chemical energy. We identify the PSI assembly factor PBF8 and show that it mediates two key consecutive steps in PSI assembly, revealing major aspects of the PSI assembly pathway in land plants.

Exploitation of the microbiome for crop breeding

Rhizosphere microbiomes are shaped by both the environment and the host. A recent study of the maize microbiome reveals how plants recruit a specific microbiome to alleviate abiotic stress, and provides clues for precision microbiome engineering in agriculture.

• Jiayong Shen
• Mingxing Wang

Haploids fast-track hybrid plant breeding

Two studies report the use of paternal haploids to enable one-step transfer of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize and broccoli, which resolves a key technical bottleneck in hybrid crop breeding.

• Ravi Maruthachalam

Related Subjects

• Light responses
• Natural variation in plants
• Photosynthesis
• Plant biotechnology
• Plant breeding
• Plant cell biology
• Plant development
• Plant domestication
• Plant ecology
• Plant evolution
• Plant genetics
• Plant hormones
• Plant immunity
• Plant molecular biology
• Plant physiology
• Plant reproduction
• Plant signalling
• Plant stress responses
• Plant symbiosis
• Secondary metabolism

Latest Research and Reviews

Structural insights into ion selectivity and transport mechanisms of Oryza sativa HKT2;1 and HKT2;2/1 transporters

Wang et al. report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of rice K + transporters HKT2;1 and HKT2;2/1. These structures reveal critical insights into their ion selectivity and transport mechanisms that will aid in the development of strategies to increase yields.

• Xiaohui Wang
• Xiaoshuai Shen
• Huaizong Shen

A distal enhancer guides the negative selection of toxic glycoalkaloids during tomato domestication

This study identified a distal enhancer GE1, which acts as the key regulator controlling steroidal glycoalkaloids metabolism by modulating the GAME gene cluster and guides negative selection of steroidal glycoalkaloids production during tomato domestication.

• Mingchun Liu

Exogenously applied gibberellic acid and benzylamine modulate growth and chemical constituents of dwarf schefflera: a stepwise regression analysis

• Ali Salehi Sardoei
• Mojtaba Tahmasebi
• Mansour Ghorbanpour

Expression of the Arabidopsis redox-related LEA protein, SAG21 is regulated by ERF, NAC and WRKY transcription factors

• Kelly V. Evans
• Elspeth Ransom
• Hilary J. Rogers

Rosemary and neem: an insight into their combined anti-dandruff and anti-hair loss efficacy

• Mona M. Hashem
• Dalia Attia
• Maha M. Salama

Inhibition of co-occurring weeds and young sugarcane seedling growth by perennial sugarcane root extract

• Xiaoming Wang
• Shilong Wang

News and Comment

Estella Bergere Leopold (1927–2024), passionate environmentalist who traced changing ecosystems

The trailblazing palaeobotanist investigated how climate change affected Earth in the past — and firmly believed science should be used in its defence now.

• Cathy Whitlock

The ‘Mother Tree’ idea is everywhere — but how much of it is real?

A popular theory about how trees cooperate has enchanted the public and raised the profile of forest conservation. But some ecologists think its scientific basis has been oversold.

• Aisling Irwin

Salts out, water in

Research on apoplastic diffusion barriers may help to better understand sensitivity to drought and salinity, two of the most pressing problems in agriculture.

Spatially manipulating brassinosteroids for clustered growth

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Articles on Botany

Displaying 1 - 20 of 92 articles.

Cranberries can bounce, float and pollinate themselves: The saucy science of a Thanksgiving classic

Serina DeSalvio , Texas A&M University

Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you

Jacob S. Suissa , University of Tennessee and Ben Goulet-Scott , Harvard University

French botanist Théodore Leschenault travelled to Australia in 1800-1803 . His recently recovered journal contains a wealth of intriguing information

Paul Gibbard , The University of Western Australia

Why does grass grow more slowly in winter?

Gregory Moore , The University of Melbourne

Colonialism has shaped scientific plant collections around the world – here’s why that matters

Daniel Park , Purdue University

The world’s first flowers were pollinated by insects

Ruby E. Stephens , Macquarie University ; Hervé Sauquet , UNSW Sydney ; Lily Dun , UNSW Sydney ; Rachael Gallagher , Western Sydney University , and Will Cornwell , UNSW Sydney

Native raspberries, limes and geraniums: how did these curious plants end up in Australia?

Decolonize your garden: This long weekend, dig into the complicated roots of gardening — Listen

Vinita Srivastava , The Conversation and Ateqah Khaki , The Conversation

Learn to think like a plant: five questions to think about if you want to keep your houseplants healthy

Chris Thorogood , University of Oxford

I’ve created a monstera! How to care for the ‘Swiss cheese plant’ in your life

Climate change threatens spring wildflowers by speeding up the time when trees leaf out above them

Richard B. Primack , Boston University ; Benjamin R. Lee , University of Pittsburgh , and Tara K. Miller , University of Virginia

Once the Callery pear tree was landscapers’ favorite – now states are banning this invasive species and urging homeowners to cut it down

Ryan W. McEwan , University of Dayton

Some houseplants take in nutrients from roots outside the soil – and it may change how we care for them

Amanda Rasmussen , University of Nottingham

A new discovery shows major flowering plants are 150 million years older than previously thought

Byron Lamont , Curtin University

I spent a year squeezing leaves to measure their water content. Here’s what I learned

Tomás I. Fuenzalida , Australian National University

Botanists are disappearing – just when the world needs them most

Sebastian Stroud , University of Leeds

How to grow plants on the moon – new study

Monica Grady , The Open University

Redwood trees have two types of leaves, scientists find – a trait that could help them survive in a changing climate

Alana Chin , Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Why do plants grow straight?

Beronda L. Montgomery , Michigan State University

Five fascinating insights into the inner lives of plants

Sven Batke , Edge Hill University

Related Topics

• Climate change
• Horticulture
• Native plants
• Photosynthesis
• Plant science

Top contributors

Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne

Professeur, Biologie et Biochimie végétales, IUF, Université de Lorraine

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, Grinnell College

Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University

Senior Zoologist and Botanical Curator, Queensland Herbarium

Chair of ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Biotechnology, The University of Queensland

Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences, Emory University

Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Birmingham

Lecturer in Classical Studies, The Open University

Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University

Senior Research Professor, Curtin University

Associate Professor in Ecology and Evolution, UNSW Sydney

Research botanist at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia/Environment Institute, University of Adelaide

Author and Research Fellow, UNSW Sydney

Henslow Research Fellow, University of Cambridge

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