Category archives: Plant biology

Genetic engineering of insect-free plants

Genetic engineering of insect-free plants

BiotechnologyGeneticsPlant biology

By Daniel Marino

Plants are sessile organisms, which means they can´t move around. Of course, they have some types of movements like turning towards the sun but the place where the seed germinates the plant will stay during their entire life cycle. Obviously, this fact has important consequences on how plants respond upon variations of their surrounding environment […]

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 […]