Author archives: Daniel Marino

Can a Nitrate Transporter help to reduce the contamination associated to excessive fertilization in agriculture?

Can a Nitrate Transporter help to reduce the contamination associated to excessive fertilization in agriculture?

BiologyEcologyPlant biology

By Daniel Marino

Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and most plants require 20-50 g of N taken up by their roots to produce 1 kg of dry biomass. Although N is one of the most abundant elements on earth, agricultural soils are deficient in N and thus, to sustain crops productivity soils require their […]

Towards the generation of tubers in non-tuberizing plants: Can a tomato plant make potatoes?

Towards the generation of tubers in non-tuberizing plants: Can a tomato plant make potatoes?

Plant biology

By Daniel Marino

Some plants have the capacity to develop tubers. Tubers are storage organs that serve as a survival strategy to better cope with adverse environmental conditions such as dry periods and cold. Tubers are sometimes also a means of asexual reproduction. In fact, tubers can persist in the soil during unfavorable conditions and generate a new […]

Let there be fascinating plants

Let there be fascinating plants

Plant biology

By Daniel Marino

18th of May is the “Fascination of Plants Day”. This is the second year that this initiative takes place. The “Fascination of Plants Day” is coordinated by the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO), an independent academic organization that represents more than 226 research institutes, departments and universities from 30 countries. Many different activities are being […]

Cellulose conversion to starch, a promising strategy for future global food demand

Cellulose conversion to starch, a promising strategy for future global food demand

BiologyPlant biology

By Daniel Marino

Carbohydrates are molecules composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. They are formed of at least three atoms of carbon. Monosaccharides are the simplest carbohydrates and they cannot be hydrolyzed to smaller carbohydrates. Among the monosccharides we find glucose or fructoses which are formed of six atoms of carbon or glyceraldehyde which is composed of three […]

Do I flower now or do I wait a little bit more?

Do I flower now or do I wait a little bit more?

Biology

By Daniel Marino

Flowers are the reproductive organs of angiosperms (flowering plants) and flowering is therefore the phenomenon by which the undifferentiated cells from the meristems (similar to animal stem cells) differentiate into a floral meristem that will then produce the different components of the flower (sepals, petals, stamens and carpels). This transition from a plant vegetative to […]