News & events
News
Scientists from ANU and James Cook University have identified an "exquisite" natural mechanism that helps plants limit their water loss with little effect on carbon dioxide intake - an essential process for photosynthesis, plant growth and crop yield.
How do you tell if your plants need water? Recently, I asked this question of a group of about 40 biologists at the Australian National University.
Researchers have discovered why malaria parasites are vulnerable to some drug therapies but resistant to others, offering scientists another piece of the puzzle in the global fight against the disease.
Making good food choices is necessary both for ourselves and for the planet, says plant scientist Professor Justin Borevitz.
While Angus Rae focuses intently on a captivating microscopic world, he is actually working towards a solution for an environmental catastrophe occurring on a global scale.
A new research centre based at ANU will train the next generation of scientists to develop more resilient crops and significantly grow Australia's agricultural sector.
Events
Crown roots make up the bulk of the mature root system in grasses and are essential for anchorage and water and nutrient absorption.
Plants that exhibit moisture-regulated root branching, called hydropatterning, are able to detect spatial differences in water distribution around their root growth zone, which leads to pre-patterning of lateral root primordia towards regions of higher water availability.
Rust diseases are a serious threat to cereals and other crops worldwide. The interaction between flax and the flax rust fungus, Melampsora lini, is a model pathosystem helping us to understand the molecular basis of rust fungal pathogenicity in plants.
The rate of photosynthesis and plant growth is often rate limited by the activity of the CO2-fixing enzyme Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco).
Plant scientists are in a race against time to adapt modern crops to future environments, many of which are predicted to be hotter and drier.