passion plantae

Fresh Technologies UK Ltd.

2012-08-09T13:32:00.001+05:30

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Read more: http://www.freshtechuk.com/

Key Words: MIP Technology, Modified Interactive Packaging, MAP, Modified Atmosphere Packaging, Advance Interactive Packaging, AIP, Horticulture, Packaging for Fresh Produce, Packaging for Fruits and Vegetables, Packaging with nano technology, Honey comb structure in Packaging, LDPE

The Deadly Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala-South India

2011-11-22T20:04:00.001+05:30

The Deadly Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala-South India

Air Pollution in Bulgaria

2011-11-16T20:49:00.001+05:30

Chronic pollution makes Bulgaria one of the world’s deadliest places to live because of poor air quality, despite years of efforts to improve monitoring and comply with EU standards. But Bulgaria's problems are not isolated and reflect broader concerns over air quality among EU member states. Bulgaria has made steady progress in improving environmental monitoring and adopting regulations on air, water and environmental quality since joining the EU in 2007. Analysts say such steps have been followed by poor enforcement and neglect by both national and EU authorities
Read more: http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/43569

Banned pesticides being used in India- The Hindu reports

2011-11-11T22:58:00.001+05:30

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday admitted in the Rajya Sabha that 67 pesticides banned or restricted in a number of countries are being freely used in India.

Replying to questions during question hour, Mr. Pawar said 27 pesticides, including calcium cyanide, have been banned for manufacture, import and use in India. Nicotin sulfate and captafol have been banned for use but their manufacture is allowed for export. Four pesticide formulations have been banned for import, manufacture and use, while seven others have been withdrawn. Thirteen pesticides, including endosulfan, are allowed with restrictions. Asked why these pesticides were being allowed in India, he said that only some countries have banned their use, while others such as Brazil and Australia continue to use them. “We take all precautions in allowing use of these pesticides. Certain countries have banned them, but certain countries have allowed their use. We have taken the opinion of the scientific community and considered the interest of the farming community in allowing their use.”

The Hindu report.

Endosulfan and Side effects in Kerala State, India

2011-10-24T04:36:00.000+05:30

Read the full story
http://www.cseindia.org/userfiles/endosulfan_kerala_story.pdf

"A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us."

2011-10-23T01:26:00.000+05:30

The Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society is hosting a free lecture with Cal Poly professor Matt Ritter, who will give an illustrated talk about his new book, "A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us."

This presentation and book-signing will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Solvang Library, 1745 Mission Drive

Source:

http://syvnews.com/lifestyles/botanist-to-lecture-on-california-s-trees/article_2b0c8084-fa0f-11e0-9bc2-001cc4c002e0.html

Which Direction Are Herbicides Heading?

2011-10-20T18:06:00.000+05:30

image courtesy-http://students.cis.uab.edu/tchowton/Pictures/herbicides.jpg

2,4-D is coming back. What many might consider a "dinosaur" may be the best solution for growers fighting weed resistance today, said Dean Riechers, University of Illinois associate professor of weed physiology.

"Farmers can't imagine going back to 2,4-D or other auxin herbicides," Riechers said. "But

herbicide resistance is bad enough that companies are willing to bring it back. That illustrates

how severe this problem is."

COPY of document in Scienc Daily

Urtica urens (Annual Nettle)

2011-09-13T19:32:00.002+05:30

Urtica urens (Annual Nettle)

Location: Polythene tunnel; Writtle College, UK

Photograph: ©Abychan Kokkattu Alex (2011)

As part of the herbicide trial (organic). Leaves shows wilting ( Black shades) 1 hour after application

Toxic Algal scum hits British lakes and canals

2011-08-18T15:35:00.002+05:30

A bald coot swims through blue-green algae. Courtesy: Photograph: Roland Magunia/guardian.uk

A combination of mild weather and high levels of phosphate nutrients from agriculture and homes are to blame for the green, porridge-like toxic algae blooms that have blighted British canals and lakes this summer, the Environment Agency has said.

There have been 83 algal incidents so far this year – a month into the three-month algae season – a higher than usual amount, according to the agency. In 2010, the number of incidents reached 225, while the peak year was 2005, when 226 were reported. Click here to read more

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/05/britain-toxic-algal-scum

Increased tropical forest growth could release carbon from the soil

2011-08-16T17:53:00.002+05:30

image courtesy: Dr.Emma Sayer

A new study shows that as climate change enhances tree growth in tropical forests, the resulting increase in litterfall could stimulate soil micro-organisms leading to a release of stored soil carbon.

The research was led by scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Cambridge, UK. The results are published online in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change.

The research team used results from a six-year experiment in a rainforest at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, Central America, to study how increases in litterfall - dead plant material such as leaves, bark and twigs which fall to the ground - might affect carbon storage in the soil. Their results show that extra litterfall triggers an effect called ‘priming’ where fresh carbon from plant litter provides much-needed energy to micro-organisms, which then stimulates the decomposition of carbon stored in the soil.

Data source: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Laurel

2011-08-06T21:06:00.001+05:30

Laurel is a shrub that is found in areas with subtropical climate. It usually reaches heights between 5 to 10 meters, or if it is grown indoors it grows up to 1-2 meters tall. It is not a very finicky herb and it can stand the light as well as dark, and is also pretty immune to sudden weather changes. The leaves which last over a period of 2 to 3 years are initially soft, and then they get rougher; they contain highly fragrant etheric oils. The leaves are oval-shaped.

Once picked, laurel leaves have to be dried slowly, shaded from sunlight because in this way they can retain their fragrant oil. They give off a strong smell. Even after they are picked, they retain their pleasant smell and can be used at any time. Laurel leaves can be bought dry or green and also under the form of powder (crushed leaves), but when in powder shape, they lose their smell quicker. Laurel flowers are small, of a whitish-green color, and the fruits (once they are fully grown) are black and bear a look similar to that of olives.

Proprieties and benefits of Laurel

Laurel leaves contain volatile oil rich in oxides (cineol) and phenol, methyl, ethers (estragol, engenol), pectins, tannins, resins, a bitter substance (lactone), and essential oils. The herb has carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, detoxicating, and antiviral properties. It is also an efficient digestive stimulant.

Treatments

As far as its medicinal qualities are concerned, laurel is a legendary herb. It is used in therapeutics, for treating anorexia, the flu and common cold, as well as illnesses concerning the nervous system, digestive problems, intestinal infections, inflammations of the mouth, chronic rheumatism, spasms, and stomach atony. Against sinusitis, laurel decocts or infusions are recommended. Owing to the high quantity of oil they contain, laurel leaves are recommended in various forms of flu because they can clean the sinuses and reduce the nasal secretion. Against hangovers, intoxications or poisoning, it is recommended to boil 20-30 laurel leaves in a cup of water and left to infuse for 20 minutes. The resulting infusion is drunk immediately and is an excellent antitoxic vomitory. For treating digestive problems, 1-2 laurel leaves are cooked with the meal or a 1-month treatment is followed consisting of chewing 3 laurel leaves a day on an empty stomach, one before each primary meal. Gum infections, hoarseness, and loss of voice can be treated through gargling with water containing 10 boiled laurel leaves. Flu or bronchitis are treated through macerating 4 laurel leaves and an orange peel in a liter of water. The resulting mixture is then consumed on an empty stomach. It reduces fever, eliminates headaches and energizes the body. Laurel fumigations are efficient not only for cold states but also for chasing away bugs. Laurel is known for its psychic spiritual effects. It wakens the mind and the senses, increases subtle perception offers a state of dynamism, expansion and can also put the mind in a state of detachment, clarity and measure.

Mixtures

Laurel infusion

Laurel infusion is made from 10 laurel leaves put in a cup of boiling water. After it cools down a bit it is digested 3 times a day against hoarseness.

Laurel tea

Laurel tea is made from 2 spoonfuls of finely cut laurel leaves which are boiled in 250ml water for about 10 minutes. It is then consumed in small amounts in the same day.

Macerated laurel

Macerated laurel is obtained from 4 laurel leaves and an orange peal macerated in 1 liter of water for 4 hours. The mixture is then consumed on an empty stomach in small amounts. Laurel is known to be a spice not only for classic types of foods, but also for the more modern ones, because it is a fragrant herb that gives a different taste to meals. It is particularly used in foods containing rice or vegetables. It can be added to soups or pickle jars. Laurel leaves are used in some desserts for their aroma; before consumption they are discarded. Because it has a bitter taste, laurel leaves must not be left in the cooked food for more than 10-20 minutes, as for pickle jars, only 1-2 leaves are left inside the jar.

Warning

If it is used in large doses, laurel can cause nausea.

Source:http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants/laurel.html

Invasion of the orchid snatcher

2011-05-19T16:22:00.000+05:30

Ruthless hunters track their prey around the globe, snatching stunning individuals from their homes before they can even be named.

The beauties only surface in the shadiest of nurseries and high prices for their lives are agreed under the counter by hungry-eyed collectors.

This is not the plot from a harrowing tale of people smuggling but the fate of rare and highly prized orchids.

The plants have inspired frenzied collection since the 18th century with their lustrous blooms and incredible variety.

Now, scientists say the illegal collection of orchids is pushing species to the edge of extinction, with dire consequences for biodiversity.

“Start Quote

To a dedicated collector of wild-sourced orchids, price has no bearing”

Dr Richard ThomasTRAFFIC International

With some vulnerable species available on the black market before they can even be formally named, biologists and customs officers alike are battling to preserve the captivating plants.

Sex appeal

Admired for their beauty, orchids make up the largest family of flowering plants (Orchidaceae) with over 26,000 species.

The plants vary enormously from tiny 3-4mm Bulbophyllum minutissimum to 20m long vanillas: lianas that grow high up inrainforest.

What unites them is the unique way they germinate from seeds, developing a tuberous mass of cells to form a seedling plant.

For orchid admirers however it is the sensual differences between the plants that inspire such admiration and many are driven wild by the unique shape, scent and sight of new species.

Victorian Britons referred to the condition as "orchidelerium", an insatiable lust for collecting the plants.

From delicate ghost orchids to the beautifully coloured petals ofCattleya, the aesthetic appeal of orchids is obvious.

Orchids: The bigger picture

Orchids are often referred to as indicators of a healthy eco-system

This is because many species are highly sensitive to disturbance

Orchids can only germinate due to their symbiotic relationship with a microscopic fungus so soil must be stable for them to grow

The plants also interact closely with invertebrates

Bee orchids (Ophrys) are named because their labellums mimic the appearance and scent of female bees, attracting males that then spread their pollen

Watch David Attenborough explain how orchids need fungi to germinate

Throughout history the plants have been considered "overtly sexual" with voluptuous blooms sporting enlarged lips (labellum): pouting platforms to entice insect pollinators.

But the individuality and appeal of orchids also makes them vulnerable.

"Orchids are naturally rare with many species only being known from a handful of populations," says orchid expert Dr David Roberts from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent, UK.

"Smuggling only effects the groups that are specifically in demand which isn't all orchids. However for the groups that are sought after, such as slipper orchids, it is a big problem."

High price

Rare species can fetch a pretty penny; a single stem of the Rotchschild's Orchid (Paphiopedilum rothschildianum), known as the Gold of Kinabalu, is reported to command prices of around $5000.

After its discovery in 1987 this slipper orchid, remarkable for its imposing horizontal petals, was stripped from the wild by orchid smugglers bringing it close to extinction.

Despite reintroduction of the plant from cultivated seedlings, it is still described as endangered and its few known wild locations in Kinabalu National Park in Sabah, Malaysia are kept a closely guarded secret.

However, not all species are afforded the same protection.

“Start Quote

Orchids are naturally rare with many species only being known from a handful of populations”

Dr David RobertsDurrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology

Last year, Asian orchid expert Dr Jaap J Vermeulen studied an orchid collected by conservationists in a national park in Sarawak, Malaysia.

But before he could describe the new species to science, it had been introduced to the black market.

"Bulbophyllum kubahense is a particularly beautiful species with a dense [cluster] of fairly large, white, heavily purple spotted flowers. That makes it desirable to orchid growers," Dr Vermeulen explains.

"Traders found the species in a conservation area, and first thought that is was a particularly luxuriant form of another, similar looking species... Plants appeared in nurseries in Sarawak, Singapore and Thailand."

Through his analysis, published in the journal Plant Systematics and Evolution, Dr Vermeulen confirmed that the plant was a "true novelty".

"It is beautiful, and it is rare: only known from a single locality near Kuching, Sarawak. That will put the price up, and with it the collecting pressure on the natural population," he warns.

Populations stripped

This is not the first time an orchid has been endangered before it has even been formally described.

Such is the demand from collectors, smugglers scour the globe for new species of orchid, sometimes removing whole populations of plants before anyone else knows of their existence.

Dr Vermeulen cites examples from peninsular Malaysia and Vietnam but the most famous example comes from Peru.

Phragmipedium kovachii was first found in 2001 and is referred to as one of the most important natural history discoveries of the last decade.

A foot tall with striking purple blooms, it is a distinctive member of the lady's slipper family, named for their slipper-shaped petal pouches.

Orchid dealer James Kovach bought the orchid from a roadside vendor in Peru and travelled back to his native US with it.

Within days, the Peruvian authorities asked the US Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate the plant, as all Phragmipedium are banned from export under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

This purple giant is one of the decade's top natural history discoveries

After its initial description, illegally plucked specimens of P. kovachiiwere reportedly changing hands amongst frenzied growers for as much as $10,000.

Kovach received two years probation and was made to pay a fine of $1000 for violating the endangered species act.

The orchid still bears the name kovachii but is now limited to a few authorised growers in Peru.

Although conservationists acknowledge the prosecution, they say the fines are not high enough to deter smugglers from their billion dollar enterprise.

"To a dedicated collector of wild-sourced orchids, price has no bearing," says Dr Richard Thomas, from the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic International.

Dr Thomas says it is "notoriously difficult" to estimate the value of illicit trade.

Ruthless collection

According to Traffic's figures, the legal trade in live orchids in Europe alone involves more than 370 million plants.

An illustration of the rare Bulbophyllum kubahense

These orchids adhere to the CITES regulations: they come from licensed nurseries that hold the appropriate permits for international trade.

In these nurseries, single specimens are duplicated through micropropagation: creating thousands of cloned plants for the consumer market.

Despite advances, this process is costly and time-consuming.

The cloned plants are also considered inferior by collectors that value the variety in wild orchids' blooms.

"There are a small number of hard core 'collectors' for whom only a wild-sourced orchid will do, and they can be ruthless in their pursuit of this goal," says Dr Thomas.

"This can have a devastating impact on newly discovered species, where there is likely to be a demand created for the plant almost overnight."

Protecting the future

The UK's rarest orchid, Cypripedium calceolus, receives round-the-clock police surveillance where it grows on a Lancashire golf course.

But this level of protection is not globally consistent.

In the rainforests of South America and Asia, protecting individual species is an epic task.

Experts and customs officers join forces to protect vulnerable

Beyond the practical difficulties of surveying entire rainforests with limited resources, conservationists also have to contend with the pressures of developing nations.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's orchid specialist group, tropical orchid habitat is vanishing as timber is removed, minerals mined and land cleared for roads and housing.

Some collectors insist that, by removing orchids from areas under threat from human development, they are protecting the future of species.

For some orchids, their only hope lies in ex-situ conservation: cultivation in nurseries is the only thing keeping species likePaphiopedilum vietnamenese from extinction.

In the interests of biodiversity however, conservationists maintain that orchids must be protected in their natural environment.

"For species with highly restricted ranges and severely threatened habitat, any removal of wild specimens poses a significant threat," says Dr Thomas.

"The loss of any one species is a tragedy - the world needs rich biological diversity to survive. Species have taken millennia to evolve, but can be lost in days."

The Most Beautiful Flowers in the World

2011-05-14T15:21:00.000+05:30

The Most Beautiful Flowers in the World

Curry powder molecule 'is cheap sensor for explosives'

2011-03-25T15:23:00.002+05:30

The main chemical in the curry spice turmeric could be the basis for cheap explosives detectors, say researchers.

The curcumin molecule is already well-known in medicine for its anti-cancer and anti-oxidant properties.

Year 'Round Bloom -- Horticulturists And Botanists Develop Flower That Blooms All Summer Long

2011-03-22T05:36:00.000+05:30

ScienceDaily () -- A horticulturist created a hybrid lily lookalike that expresses a lavender-lilac color, strong and upright stems, and winter hardiness. In gardens it blooms until the first hard freeze in the fall in the northern United States. In greenhouses it never goes dormant.

WHO warns of "serious" food radiation in disaster-hit Japan

2011-03-21T21:31:00.000+05:30

Flood-Tolerant Rice Plants Can Also Survive Drought

2011-03-06T01:38:00.001+05:30

Rice, which is sensitive to drought due to its high water requirement, is particularly vulnerable to how global climate change is altering the frequency and magnitude of floods and droughts. If rice plants' combined tolerance to flooding and drought could be improved, however, rice productivity could be protected and even substantially increased.

"Flood tolerance does not reduce drought tolerance in these rice plants, and appears to even benefit them when they encounter drought," said Julia Bailey-Serres, a professor of genetics in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, who led the research project.Now plant scientists at the University of California, Riverside have made a discovery that can greatly benefit rice growers and consumers everywhere. The researchers have demonstrated in the lab and greenhouse that rice that is flood tolerant is also better able to recover from a drought.

Bailey-Serres and her team -- Takeshi Fukao, a senior researcher, and Elaine Yeung, an undergraduate student -- focused on Sub1A, a gene responsible for flood or "submergence" tolerance in rice and found only in some low-yielding rice varieties in India and Sri Lanka. Sub1A works by making the plant dormant during submergence, allowing it to conserve energy until the floodwaters recede. Rice with the Sub1A gene can survive more than two weeks of complete submergence.

Plant breeders have already benefited farmers worldwide -- especially in South Asia -- by having transferred Sub1A into high-yielding rice varieties without compromising these varieties' desirable traits -- such as high yield, good grain quality, and pest and disease resistance.

Bailey-Serres's lab found that in addition to providing robust submergence tolerance, Sub1A aids survival of drought. The researchers report that at the molecular level Sub1A serves as a convergence point between submergence and drought response pathways, allowing rice plants to survive and re-grow after both extremes of precipitation.

Study results appear in the January issue of The Plant Cell. The journal has the highest impact factor of primary research journals in plant biology. The research paper also has been selected as a recommended read in the Faculty of 1000.

Bailey-Serres's lab investigated the drought tolerance of flood-tolerant rice plants because her research team wanted to be sure that the flood tolerance trait, which the lab has studied for many years, did not reduce the ability of the plant to endure some of the other common stresses -- such as drought.

"We found that Sub1A properly coordinates physiological and molecular responses to cellular water deficit when this deficit occurs independently, as in a time of drought, or following 'desubmergence,' which takes place when flood waters recede," Bailey-Serres said.

She explained that after a flood, a period follows when the leaves that have been submerged lose water and become dehydrated. Moreover, because a period of dehydration is part of the natural progression of a flood, Sub1A also happens to have benefits after desubmergence and is therefore important for drought tolerance as well.

"Our finding suggests that the plant recovers well from drought by growing new shoots," Bailey-Serres said. "This is something that is also seen with flooding."

Next, colleagues of Bailey-Serres at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines will test the Sub1A rice for drought tolerance in the field.

The research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service to Bailey-Serres, who is the lead recipient of the 200

Source8 USDA National Research Initiative Discovery Award. Fukao is the first author of the research paper.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110302121716.htm

Climate Change Drives Instability, U.N. Official Warns

2011-02-16T05:16:00.002+05:30

The United Nations’ top climate change official said on Tuesdaythat food shortages and rising prices caused by climate disruptions were among the chief contributors to the civil unrest coursing through North Africa and the Middle East.

Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesChristiana Figueres, in white blouse, met with children in Sehwan, Pakistan, who have been displaced by floods.

In a speech to Spanish lawmakers and military leaders, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations climate office, said that climate change-driven drought, falling crop yields and competition for water were fueling conflict throughout Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. She warned that unless nations took aggressive action to reduce emissions causing global warming such conflicts would spread, toppling governments and driving up military spending around the world.

“It is alarming to admit that if the community of nations is unable to fully stabilize climate change, it will threaten where we can live, where and how we grow food and where we can find water,” said Ms. Figueres, a veteran Costa Rican diplomat and environmental advocate. “In other words, it will threaten the basic foundation – the very stability on which humanity has built its existence.”

Rising food prices were a factor in the January riots that unseated Tunisia’s longtime president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, although decades of repression and high unemployment also fed the revolution. The link between food and resource shortages and Egypt’s revolution is less clear.

But Ms. Figueres said that long-term trends in arid regions did not look promising unless the world took decisive action on climate change. She said that a third of all Africans now lived in drought-prone regions and that by 2050 as many as 600 million Africans would face water shortages.

“On a global level, increasingly unpredictable weather patterns will lead to falling agricultural production and higher food prices, leading to food insecurity,” she said in her address. “In Africa, crop yields could decline by as much as 50 percent by 2020. Recent experiences around the world clearly show how such situations can cause political instability and undermine the performance of already fragile states.”

She said that rising sea levels, more frequent and severe natural disasters, pandemics, heat waves and widespread drought could lead to extensive migrations within countries and across national borders. Military leaders around the world, including those in the United States, have warned that such effects of a changing climate can serve as “threat multipliers,” adding stresses to nations and regions that already face heavy burdens of poverty and social insecurity.

“All these factors taken together,” Ms. Figueres concluded, “mean that climate change, especially if left unabated, threatens to increase poverty and overwhelm the capacity of governments to meet the basic needs of their people, which could well contribute to the emergence, spread and longevity of conflict.”

Source:http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/climate-change-drives-instability-u-n-official-warns/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Coral Time Sex to the Moon

2011-02-12T01:32:00.000+05:30

The romance of a full moon sometimes gets the better of Acropora millepora. The 2-millimeter-tall polyp, which forms vast coral reefs in the Southern Ocean, holes up in its marine fortress and waits for the moon to shift from its usual blue hue to a redder glow. Then it waits a bit more. If this red glow is followed by several days during which no moonlight is visible—an event that occurs only in the days following a full moon—these marine creatures know it's time for some serious synchronized sex. They release millions of eggs and sperm within a period of 20 minutes, ensuring that some young will survive parrotfish and other predators, researchers report this week in The Journal of Experimental Biology. That may explain why pilots often see red, 10-kilometer-long slicks of coral gametes a couple of days after a full moon.

Source:http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/02/scienceshot-coral-time-sex-to-th.html?rss=1

Western Australia's Incredible Underground Orchid

2011-02-10T03:18:00.001+05:30

Rhizanthella gardneri is a cute, quirky and critically endangered orchid that lives all its life underground. It even blooms underground, making it virtually unique amongst plants.

Rhizanthella gardneri is a cute, quirky and critically endangered orchid that lives all its

life underground. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Western Australia)

Last year, using radioactive tracers, scientists at The University of Western Australia showed that the orchid gets all its nutrients by parasitising fungi associated with the roots of broom bush, a woody shrub of the WA outback.

Now, with less than 50 individuals left in the wild, scientists have made a timely and remarkable discovery about its genome.

Despite the fact that this fully subterranean orchid cannot photosynthesise and has no green parts at all, it still retains chloroplasts -- the site of photosynthesis in plants.

"We found that compared with normal plants, 70 per cent of the genes in the chloroplast have been lost," said Dr Etienne Delannoy, of the ARC Centre for Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, the lead researcher of a study published in Molecular Biology and Evolution. "With only 37 genes, this makes it the smallest of all known plant chloroplast genomes."

"The chloroplast genome was known to code for functions other than photosynthesis, but in normal plants, these functions are hard to study," said ARC Centre Director Professor Ian Small.

"In Rhizanthella, everything that isn't essential for its parasitic lifestyle has gone. We discovered that it has retained a chloroplast genome to make only four crucial proteins.

Our results are relevant to understanding gene loss in other parasites, for example, the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria."

Associate Professor Mark Brundrett from the Wheatbelt Orchid Rescue Project describes Rhizanthella as one of the most beautiful, strange and iconic orchids in the world.

"Combining on-the-ground conservation efforts with cutting edge laboratory technologies has led to a great discovery with impacts for both science and conservation. The genome sequence is a very valuable resource, as it makes it possible to estimate the genetic diversity of this Declared Rare plant."

Professor Brundrett has been working with the Department of Environment and Conservation and volunteers from the West Australian Native Orchid Study and Conservation Group to locate these unique orchids.

"We needed all the help we could get since it often took hours of searching under shrubs on hands and knees to find just one underground orchid!"
Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110208101337.htm

Bird shortage harms plants too

2011-02-10T03:01:00.000+05:30

In the study, islands with only one
helpful bird species were not well pollinated.
Image: s1rena/iStockphoto

Researchers at The University of Auckland and the University of Canterbury are calling for stronger action to protect and increase native bird populations after finding proof that low bird numbers are causing a decline in plant life.

A study carried out by Sandra Anderson from The University of Auckland working with four University of Canterbury researchers, has found that the New Zealand shrubRhabdothamnus solandri, or New Zealand Gloxinia, was slowly declining on the mainland because the endemic birds that used to pollinate it have largely disappeared.

The New Zealand Gloxinia is a bird-pollinated shrub that grows in native forests throughout the upper half of the North Island. It has orange flowers that are visited by three endemic New Zealand birds – tui, bellbirds and stitchbirds – and, more recently, by native silvereyes.

Bird species are declining worldwide, raising concerns that the ecological services they provide, such as pollination and seed dispersal, may fail, says Professor Dave Kelly from the University of Canterbury.

“This could have a cascading impact on biodiversity,” he says. “But the possible failure of these ecological services is of particular concern in Oceania where bird species have suffered extensive extinctions from human impact. New Zealand has lost 49 per cent of its land bird species, which raises concerns about whether bird pollination and dispersal are adequate.”

Ms Sandra Anderson, the lead author for the study, said the replacement of lost endemic species by introduced species does not necessarily provide the same function, with the recently self-introduced silvereyes usually robbing nectar from the flowers without pollinating.

The researchers’ findings, published in Science Express this week, were based on comparative studies of pollination activity by the three endemic bird species carried out on test sites in Auckland and Whangarei, on three island nature reserves (Little Barrier and Tiritiri Matangi near Auckland and Lady Alice near Whangarei) and at five adjacent mainland sites (two near Auckland and three near Whangarei).

The studies found that mainland plants, where only silvereyes and some tui are present, were poorly pollinated compared with the plants on the island locations where all three endemic species of birds remained abundant. This poor pollination reduced seed production on the mainland by 84 per cent and there were 55 per cent fewer juvenile plants per adult plant on the mainland.

Professor Kelly said the researchers had uncovered a “gradual cascading effect” of the decline of birds on the plant community.

And Ms Anderson said this loss is largely “invisible” until it is irreversible.

“Such cascading effects have been of concern worldwide, but are rarely properly documented and often hard to prove,” said Professor Kelly.

“Our example is a very clear case, which serves as a warning. It may be that similar slow plant declines as a result of the decrease in birds have begun elsewhere, but the relevant studies have not been done to detect them. We think it would be important to do these studies because early conservation action is much more effective while species are still widespread. Also, proof that bird losses have a negative impact on ecological services like pollination will help support stronger action to protect and enhance bird densities.”

The researchers’ paper, titled “Cascading effects of bird functional extinction reduce pollination and plant density” has been published in the 3 February issue of Science Express, which can be found online at www.sciencemag.org/journal.

Plants prepare for spore attack at dawn

2011-02-06T21:23:00.000+05:30

Plants can anticipate infection and time their immune attack accordingly,new research shows. Understanding that mechanism could help doctors time our own defenses better.

A fungus-like pathogen (Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis) causesdowny mildew disease in the flowering plantArabidopsis. Studying the plant’s immune system, researchers found a set of defense genes influenced by the plant’s biological clock – the 24-hour circadian cycle, just like ours.

In plants, this daily timekeeper regulates photosynthesis, fragrance release, and when to bloom. Their circadian regulator – called circadian clock-associated 1 (CCA1) – also helps plants prepare the timing of their immune response.

In Arabidopsis, the 22 genes connected to infection-resistance were only expressed after evening time, peaking at dawn – when the fungal pathogen normally disperses its spores (pictured).

“From what we know, the pathogen forms spores at night and disseminates them at dawn, so that’s when the infection threat is highest,” says principal investigator Xinnian Dong of Duke University.

The genes were not expressed during the day when the pathogen is unlikely to attack. And when the team released spores at dusk, infection rates were much higher for the unprepared plants.

Arabidopsis plants that don’t have CCA1 also suffered higher infection rates.

The plant chemicals used to fight mildew infection are expensive to make and potentially harmful to the plant itself over the long-term, Dong says, so a daily cycle of production is safer and more efficient than simply having the chemicals on hand all the time.

This is the first time researchers have been able to make a functional connection between the circadian clock and pathogen resistance, Dong says.

And if researchers can sort out the intricacies of the relationship between pathogens and hosts, and their circadian rhythms, practical lessons could be gleaned. For example, pesticide treatments could be timed to have maximum impact.

Source:http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/plants-prepare-for-spore-attack-at-dawn/3013/

Discovery of jumping gene cluster tangles tree of life

2011-02-06T20:24:00.000+05:30

Since the days of Darwin, the "tree of life" has been the preeminent metaphor for the process of evolution, reflecting the gradual branching and changing of individual species.

The discovery that a large cluster of genes appears to have jumped directly from one species of fungus to another, however, significantly strengthens the argument that a different metaphor, such as a mosaic, may be more appropriate.

Caption: These are Vanderbilt evolutionary biologists Antonis Rokas, right, and Jason Slot.

Credit: John Russell, Vanderbilt University

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"The fungi are telling us something important about evolution … something we didn't know," said Antonis Rokas, assistant professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt. He and research associate Jason Slot reported their discovery in the Jan. 25 issue of the journal Current Biology.

Rokas and Slot discovered that millions of years ago, a cluster of 23 genes jumped from one strain of mold commonly found on starchy foods like bread and potatoes, Aspergillus, to another strain of mold that lives in herbivore dung and specializes in breaking down plant fibers, Podospora.

The findings came as a major surprise, as there are only a handful of cases in recent evolutionary history where this type of gene transfer between organisms, known as horizontal gene transfer, has been reported in complex cells like those found in plants, animals and fungi.

"Because most people didn't believe that such large gene clusters could be transferred horizontally, they haven't looked for them and they haven't been found," Rokas said.

Rokas and Slot detected the unprecedented gene cluster transfer during a detailed comparison of the entire genomes of nearly 100 species of fungi. The primary goal of their research is to identify the most reliable methods for determining the evolutionary relationships of species of all kinds. In the course of their analysis, they discovered the 23-gene capture.

The jumping gene cluster codes for a toxic compound called sterigmatocystin. Cells produce this type of compound to attack competing organisms or to protect themselves from attacks. As a result, these types of compounds are the source of a number of important drugs, like penicillin and cyclosporin, as well as a number of natural poisons.

"Fungi produce an astonishing variety of drugs and poisons. Our discovery that one of the largest gene clusters responsible for making such a poison moved intact between species suggests that horizontal transfers of wholesale pathways may have contributed significantly to the generation of this diversity," Rokas said.

In the past, evolutionary research has focused on the passage of genes from parent to child, known as vertical gene transfer. This process, acted out over the eons of geological time, gives rise to the branching structure of the tree of life.

Since the 1980's, however, evolutionary scientists have become increasingly aware that horizontal or lateral gene transfer also plays a major role in evolution. In vertical gene transfer, all the genetic material in each new species come from a single ancestral species. In horizontal gene transfer, by contrast, species that receive bits of genetic material from its neighbors are directly related to a number of often unrelated species.

Horizontal gene transfer was first discovered in bacteria, and has been recognized as largely responsible for the problem of drug resistance. If one bacterium evolves a method for surviving a drug, this ability can spread rapidly to other unrelated microorganisms via horizontal gene transfer, substantially reducing the drug's effectiveness.

Though researchers now generally agree that horizontal gene transfer is relatively common among simple organisms like bacteria, they have continued to assume that it remained relatively rare among complex organisms like plants and animals.

"The thinking has been that there is very little horizontal gene transfer among plants and animals except for a few big, ancient events and maybe the occasional transfer of a single gene here or there," Slot said. "Our discovery suggests that the horizontal transfer of gene clusters may have been a big player not only in the evolution of bacteria but also in more complex organisms."

Source:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/vu-doj020411.php

Advancing Biocrop Alternatives in the Pacific Northwest

2011-02-04T01:45:00.000+05:30

ARS research has found that a Pacific Northwest farmer could grow enough canola on 50 to 70 acres along with an onsite crusher and biodiesel facility to supply the fuel needed to run a 1,000-acre farm operation. (Credit: Photo courtesy of Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.)
Pacific Northwest farmers could someday be filling up their machinery's tanks with fuels produced from their own fields, according to ongoing research by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

Since 2003, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) microbiologist Hal Collins and agronomist Rick Boydston have been studying safflower, camelina, soybeans, mustard, canola, wheat, corn and switchgrass to assess their potential for bioenergy production. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of developing new sources of bioenergy.

Collins and Boydston both work at the ARS Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Laboratory in Prosser, Wash., where they've found that the oilseed crops in their studies could someday help supply Washington State with renewable fuels. For instance, they've found that canola, which is already established as a summer crop in the Pacific Northwest, can also be grown in the winter both as a cover crop and potentially as a biofeedstock crop, because its seeds are around 40 percent oil.

Their results also suggest that it could take anywhere from 50 to 70 acres for a farmer with 1,000 acres and an onsite crusher and biodiesel facility to grow enough canola to produce the fuel needed to run on-farm operations.

The team also found that in field trials, camelina plants produced an average of 2,000 pounds of seeds per acre in 80 days, which translates into 700 pounds of oil -- and eventually 93 gallons of oil -- per acre. Safflower plants, meanwhile, produced around 3,000 to 3,500 pounds of seeds per acre, and white mustard seed meal could also be used as an organic fertilizer after the seeds were crushed to extract the oil for fuel.

Collins and Boydston also evaluated eleven switchgrass cultivars in their studies and found "Kanlow" to be the most promising cultivar for maximum production under sustainable irrigation strategies in the Pacific Northwest's Columbia Basin. Four years after the team planted the first crop, they measured yields of 14 dry tons per acre, which could translate into around 1,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol per acre.

Source: Sciencedaily

India braced for fireworks over GM aubergine ban

2011-01-31T17:41:00.002+05:30

Aubergines sold at a market in Kolkata. India’s environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, decides next year on whether to lift a moratorium on growing GM brinjal (aubergine). Photograph: Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images

Almost a year has passed since India's environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, imposed a two-year moratorium on growing genetically modified (GM) brinjal (aubergine), until the public was convinced of the crop's safety.

Despite expectations of a quiet first anniversary, there could be fireworks in 2012 when Ramesh decides on whether to lift or continue the moratorium, a pointer to the road ahead for other GM food crops under trial in India – cabbage, cauliflower, corn, chickpea groundnut, mustard, okra, potato, rice, sorghum, sugarcane and tomato.

Just last month, the Philippines suspended Bt brinjal trials after local officials uprooted Bt brinjal plants in two out of seven trial sites. Bangladesh, which also plans to test it, is watching the Indian moratorium.

Efforts continue at home to lift the ban. Scientists are seeking to clip the environment ministry's wings in biotech matters, with the proposedNational Biotechnology Regulation Authority as a single-window clearance for all biotech products, such as GM brinjal. A bill on the NBRA, helpfully drafted by India's department of biotechnology, is due to be introduced in the parliament this year.

For a recap, the GM brinjal was developed by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco), in which the American company Monsanto has a 26% stake. It contains a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (hence its name Bt brinjal), a soil bacterium which codes for a toxin that kills fruit borer pest that can damage up to 70% of the crop harvest.

But the brinjal borer has never triggered a national crisis, nor has it felled empires in India, the world's largest producer of brinjals and one of the centres of its origin. Still, I accept that one must be prepared for all contingencies.

GM brinjal is not India's first GM plant: Mahyco's Bt cotton was cleared for cultivation in 2002 and 8.6 million hectares of it were grown by 5.6 million farmers in 2009. But controversy has dogged India's Bt cotton, too. Civil society organisations had a long-drawn-out battles with the Indian government and Mahyco over non-disclosure of trial data to the public in the initial years and the sale of illegal Bt cotton seeds before the Indian government's clearance. Similar charges of lack of transparency dogged Bt brinjal trials.

But there were other sensitivities in the Bt brinjal case. It would have been India's first GM food crop, against a backdrop of a regulatory system that doesn't inspire confidence and the absence of a labeling system for GM foods. Other unresolved issues were the impact of accidental release of pollen from GM brinjal on non-GM crops, toxicityand development of pest resistance.

Although India's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, under the Environment Ministry, cleared Bt brinjal for cultivation in October 2009, Ramesh held a series of public consultations and opted for a moratorium.

In the year gone by, India's six science academies that attempted to shed light on it ended up in a sorry light. The inter-academy report concluded that Bt brinjal was safe for cultivation in India. But the document contained no references and included paragraphs from a pro-biotechnology government publication, Biotech News. Ramesh dismissed it, saying it was "not a product of rigourous scientific evaluation".

The academies withdrew their report, promising to redo it, like admonished school children. In December 2010, they released an updated report with the same conclusions, but with references and PowerPoint presentations.

Last month, Ramesh finally admitted to journalists that a call on Bt brinjal would have to be a "political" decision. That, to an extent, could explain why the ban has been imposed. One angry Filipino biotechnologist asked me: "Who asked the Indian government to consult farmers and NGOs about GM technology?"

Well, farmers have traditional knowledge, and they can vote. As Alan Leshner, the head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said last year at a European science forum discussing the challenges of feeding science into policy making: "Politicians are elected. Scientists are not."

Some developing countries are looking to India for answers. Biotechnologists from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Malawi were in India in December to understand India's biotech progress and how it is engaging policy makers, scientists and farmers.

Still, India will find its way forward, picking itself up after some stumbles and an occasional flat landing on its face. But it can also offer insights into how a developing country can democratically tackle emerging technologies that interface with society.

source: as in http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog