Global Plant Council

The Global Plant Council Report on UN Conference on Climate Change (COP28) The Global Plant Council, represented by board member Prof KC Bansal and Chief Communications Officer Isabel Mendoza recently had the privilege of attending the UN Conference on Climate Change held in Dubai from 8th to 12th December 2023. Hosted by UNFCCC, this conference brought together policymakers, observers, experts, researchers, and indigenous nations from around the globe to address the most critical issue of our times—climate change. We arrived to the COP28 on the 8th of December, for the second half of the conference. After picking our badges and welcome packages, we proceed to get acquittanced with the venue (which was huge!) trying to learn fast where the plenaries where taking place, how to get in, how to get in contact with policy makers, where the stakeholders and observers met during the breaks, how to recognize the different profiles of people by the color cow their badges (parties, observers, media)...  https://buff.ly/48wFXAc #COP28 #PlantSci #PlantScience #Plants #Agriculture #Climate #ClimateChange #Policy #Science Images: all images were taken at the COP28 venue. Credit: KC Bansal and/or Isabel Mendoza

Growing better together: How microbe friends help rice plants be more efficient Scientists have found that rice plants use a special gene, NRT1.1B, to attract helpful microbes that aid in nitrogen absorption. This discovery means rice can grow more efficiently with less fertilizer, benefiting farmers and the environment. The gene acts like a green thumb, fostering beneficial bacterial communities around the roots. https://buff.ly/3xHuNvC via @saclayplantsciences @ceplas #ClimateSchool2024 #PlantScience #PlantSci #Science #Plants Image: Rice field image. Credit: Pixabay Illustration credits: The Amoeba Sisters (amoebasisters.com)

Combined effects of plastic pollution and seawater flooding amplify threats to coastal plant species A study shows that combined microplastic pollution and seawater flooding amplify threats to coastal plants, affecting growth, reproduction, and photosynthetic efficiency. These stressors, intensified by climate change, pose greater risks when combined, highlighting the need for urgent global action to protect coastal ecosystems and maintain biodiversity. https://buff.ly/3ANFbmA via @plymouth-university #PlantScience #PlantSci #pollution #photosynthesis #ClimateChange #Science #biodiversity Image credit: Harmony Cheung, University of Plymouth

Fine-Tuning Leaf Angle with CRISPR Improves Sugarcane Yield Researchers fine-tuned sugarcane leaf angles by editing varying copies of the LG1 gene in its genome, optimizing light capture and increasing biomass yield. A specific edit led to a 56% decrease in leaf angle and an 18% increase in biomass. This CRISPR breakthrough enhances crop yield without extra fertilizers. https://buff.ly/3S6Xtoz via @cabbi #PlantScience #PlantSci #Agriculture #Science Image: Eleanor Brant collecting leaf samples for molecular analysis of gene edited sugarcane. Credit: Charles Keato

Breakthrough in rice cultivation! Fast growing rice leads toat least 40% yield gains Scientists discovered that the OsDREB1C gene boosts rice yield by at least 40%. This gene enhances photosynthesis, growth, and nitrogen use, leading to larger, more abundant grains. Field trials confirmed these benefits, suggesting significant potential for addressing global food security and reducing fertilizer use. https://buff.ly/3WxJWJe via via @saclayplantsciences @ceplas #ClimateSchool2024 #Agriculture #PlantScience #PlantSci #Science #Plants #Rice #Cereals #Crops Image: Rice field image. Credit: Pixabay

How plants mate for life and repel other suitors Researchers developed a two-photon microscope technique to observe pollen tube elongation in angiosperms. They discovered signals that attract and repel pollen tubes, ensuring one-to-one guidance for successful fertilization. This intricate regulation optimizes seed production, offering insights to enhance agricultural breeding practices by improving seed yield and germination rates. https://buff.ly/3KPPSXm via Nagoya University #PlantScience #Plants #Science #PlantSci #Pollen Image: Deep imaging reveals dynamics and signaling in one-to-one pollen tube guidance. Credit: Issey Takahashi

Study shows climate change is moving tree populations away from the soil fungi that sustain them A study reveals that climate change forces trees to migrate, often to soils lacking the necessary mycorrhizal fungi. This mismatch hinders forest growth and affects ecosystems relying on forests for clean air, water, and carbon absorption. Conservation efforts must address these crucial underground partnerships. https://buff.ly/4cqJTES via @umseas #PlantScience #ClimateChange #Science #SoilSciecne #PlantSci #Trees #soil #Fungi #Conservation Image: An ectomycorrhizal mushroom on the forest floor in Patagonia. Credit: SPUN/Mateo Barrenengoa

Are plants intelligent? It depends on the definition Goldenrod plants exhibit adaptive responses to environmental cues, such as perceiving nearby plants through far-red light and changing behavior when attacked by herbivores. This ability to solve problems and adjust based on environmental information is argued to fit a very basic definition of intelligence, challenging traditional views on plant cognition. https://buff.ly/3Ya7F3E via @cornell-university #PlantScience #PlantSci #Science #Plants #PlantPhysiology Image: Goldenrod. Credit: Pixabay. Image: Plant defense priming in response to herbivory. Primer stimuli are environmental cues (e.g. volatile organic compounds from damaged neighboring plants, direct herbivore damage, spectral and chemical information) that elicit plant endogenous signaling and so ready plants for faster and stronger responses when additional attacks by herbivores occur (trigger stimulus). Intensity of the priming stimulus and the plant’s inherit sensitivity determine how strongly the plant is responding to a stimulus, reaching from alterations in endogenous signaling that may not significantly affect metabolism to a direct induction of defense metabolism. If the endogenous signal intensity elicit by environmental stimuli ranges within a critical signal intensity, a subsequent trigger stimulus (e.g. direct damage by a herbivore) will result in a faster and stronger expression of the plant defense metabolism. The reliability of a priming stimulus as a predictor of subsequent fitness-affecting damage will affect endogenous signal intensity and retention and thus if the priming information is stored in short- (e.g. transient, transcript and phytohormone accumulation) or long-term memory (e.g. epigenetic alterations). Defense priming allows the integration of environmental information to optimize plant responses while minimizing the costs associated with unreliable (false) environmental information. Credit: Plant Signaling & Behavior

Study shows climate change boosts olive tree-devouring bacteria in the Mediterranean Climate change is boosting the spread of Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium devastating Mediterranean crops like olive and grapevines. Researchers predict increased risks under global warming scenarios, stressing the importance of climate in plant disease outbreaks and the need for enhanced agricultural surveillance and management. https://buff.ly/3zvMFdp via @ifisc-institute-for-cross-disciplinary-physics-and-complex-systems-csic-uib- #PlantHealth #PlantScience #PlantSci #Science #Plants #Xylella #agriculture #crops Image: Philaenus spumarius. Credit: Elke Freese/Wikimedia Commons

A tiny new plant species reaffirms the “miraculous” survival of Western Ecuador’s ravished biodiversity A new 5 cm-high plant species discovered in western Ecuador reaffirms the region's surprising biodiversity. Found in a farmer's backyard, this tiny plant, named Amalophyllon miraculum, highlights the importance of preserving small forest fragments. The discovery challenges assumptions of widespread plant extinction and underscores the critical role of local conservation efforts. https://buff.ly/4cGNcb0 via @marie-selby-botanical-gardens #Botany #Centinela #conservation #taxonomy, #Ecuador #biodiversity #science #PlantScience Image credit: Amalophyllon miraculum leaf. Credit: Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)