All at once by the clock

All at once by the clock What we see as the flower of a sunflower consist actually out of hundreds of tiny flowers. These develop one by one, from the outside in, forming a spiral. Till the moment of opening, that they do in groups, ring by ring, the outside ring first. But how theContinue reading “All at once by the clock”

Longer roots

Longer roots To access deeper located water enables a plant to better withstand drought. Helpful hereby are longer roots that penetrate deeper into the soil. It is one of the traits that breeders select during the development of drought resilient wheat. Although a big stumbling block is that there is relatively little known about whichContinue reading “Longer roots”

Loss of pressure

Loss of pressure The epidermis, the outer cell layer of a plant, protects the plant against the outside world. Their function is determined by their position in the plant. All cells in the outermost cell layer are doomed to develop into epidermis cells. Up to now it was unknown how these cells recognise their position.Continue reading “Loss of pressure”

Yellow leaves for more energy

Yellow leaves for more energy Optimal use of photosynthetic capacity, the capture of energy is of great importance for a higher crop yield. Knowing this, it is not strange that for a long time breeders were selecting for greener leaves. As greener leaves mean more photosynthetic capacity. But this is not the whole story. GreenerContinue reading “Yellow leaves for more energy”