- Email: [email protected]
Stomata, down but not out
144
News & Comment
Crops call it quits GM crops might not become superweeds after all, according to a new study [Nature (2001) 409, 682–683]. Michael J. Crawley of Imperial College London (UK) headed the ten-year study, which concluded that in natural habitats, GM crops were no more persistent than their non-transgenic counterparts. The GM crops used consisted of corn, potatoes, sugar beets and canola (Brassica napus), which Monsanto engineered to be herbicide resistant or to contain Bt insecticide. All crop populations became extinct in natural habitats within four years of sowing because of increased competition from native surrounding plants. Monsanto (St Louis, MO, USA) and the British government provided funding for the study. TS
Stomata, down but not out Stomata are probably the most important orifices on the planet, and not only as mediators of gaseous exchange in plants. The millennia-old inverse relationship between CO2 levels and stomatal density is useful in attempts to understand the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 levels. Although increased CO2 concentrations can enhance plant growth, there is concern that CO2 levels could increase to a point when stomatal density reaches zero, with dire consequences for all life on Earth. However, the discovery of the Arabidopsis HIC (high carbon dioxide) gene by Julian Gray and colleagues [Nature (2000) 408, 713–716], whose product prevents further enhancedCO2-changes in stomatal number, suggests that this fear might be premature. NC
Kenya’s stand on biotech The Agriculture Minister of Kenya, Chris Obure, recently told the press of his opposition to plant biotechnology. He said that although biotech is a superior way of producing food, it might be detrimental to agricultural development in Kenya and other developing nations. The minister stated that biotech was geared towards profit by multinationals, which could in the long run obstruct agricultural progress. The next day, Obure changed his tone and praised biotechnology and restated the Kenyan government’s policy on the matter. Obure told the press, ‘The Government has not changed its policy. In fact, we are carrying research on biotechnology and its use.’ TS
TRENDS in Plant Science Vol.6 No.4 April 2001
Arsenic gets a brake
smell in locating host plants. They also show that application of odors from non-host plants to host plants helps to repel the aphids and protect the sprayed plants from attack. NC
Wood preservation, it’s a gas
Photograph courtesy of Doug Scofield.
Brake fern (Pteris vittata) is capable of hyperaccumulating arsenic, which makes it an attractive candidate for bioremediation [Nature (2001) 409, 579]. Arsenic is a heavy metal that is both a poison and a carcinogen. Lena Ma and colleagues found that the brake fern concentrates a variety of arsenic species in the above-ground biomass within weeks of exposure. Even ferns grown in soil with low concentrations of arsenic accumulated >100 times the level of soil arsenic. Exposure to arsenic even resulted in biomass increases in the fern. The arsenic in the fern remained as a relatively toxic inorganic form. TS
CO2 receives such bad press in the context of global warming that it’s sometimes hard to imagine it can actually be useful. Aside from its importance in photosynthesis, workers at CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products (Australia) aim to patent their use of ‘supercritical’ CO2 as a delivery system for preservatives into wood. Supercritical CO2 combines a liquid’s capacity to dissolve materials with a gas’ ability to penetrate the micropores of timber, particularly in otherwise difficult woods. Unfortunately, upon reversion to the gaseous state, the CO2 goes back into the atmosphere. (http://www.csiro.au/page.asp?type= mediaRelease&id=Prsupercritical) NC
Healthy eating, a taxing issue
Virtually, the ultimate model plant Use of model species and model systems – from Arabidopsis to Zebra fish – is all the rage for studying biological phenomena. A new research facility in Australia, The Centre for Plant Architecture Informatics (CPAI), formed by the CSIRO and the University of Queensland, aims to take such modeling to its ultimate extreme and study virtual crops. The centre will use advanced computing techniques and plant genetical, physiological, architectural and ecological information to model plant growth and development. The goal is to permit improved management of crops, forests, pests and weeds. (http://www.cpai.uq.edu.au) NC
A plant spray to keep aphids away Notwithstanding their usefulness in unravelling some of the mysteries of phloem transport, as far as the plant is concerned, aphids are a nuisance, draining food resources and introducing viruses. Research by Willem J. de Kogel et al. [Agro-FoodIndustry Hi-Tech (2000) Nov/Dec, 42–44] shows the importance of aphids’ sense of
Photograph courtesy of Keith Weller, USDA.
A new ‘take’ on the need to be environmentally aware is provided by the ideas of David Pimmentel of Cornell University (USA). He argues that foods should be taxed in relation to the environmental cost of their production. Thus, animal products such as pork and beef, whose production uses up substantial resources, should be taxed more than, for example, fish or honey. Not surprisingly, the most efficiently produced foods are fruit and vegetables. However, it would be interesting to compare the cost of production of genetically modified maize versus wild type. [Motluk A. (2001) New Sci. 169, 8] NC Nigel Chaffey [email protected] Trevor Stokes [email protected]
http://plants.trends.com 1360-1385/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
News & Comment
Crops call it quits GM crops might not become superweeds after all, according to a new study [Nature (2001) 409, 682–683]. Michael J. Crawley of Imperial College London (UK) headed the ten-year study, which concluded that in natural habitats, GM crops were no more persistent than their non-transgenic counterparts. The GM crops used consisted of corn, potatoes, sugar beets and canola (Brassica napus), which Monsanto engineered to be herbicide resistant or to contain Bt insecticide. All crop populations became extinct in natural habitats within four years of sowing because of increased competition from native surrounding plants. Monsanto (St Louis, MO, USA) and the British government provided funding for the study. TS
Stomata, down but not out Stomata are probably the most important orifices on the planet, and not only as mediators of gaseous exchange in plants. The millennia-old inverse relationship between CO2 levels and stomatal density is useful in attempts to understand the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 levels. Although increased CO2 concentrations can enhance plant growth, there is concern that CO2 levels could increase to a point when stomatal density reaches zero, with dire consequences for all life on Earth. However, the discovery of the Arabidopsis HIC (high carbon dioxide) gene by Julian Gray and colleagues [Nature (2000) 408, 713–716], whose product prevents further enhancedCO2-changes in stomatal number, suggests that this fear might be premature. NC
Kenya’s stand on biotech The Agriculture Minister of Kenya, Chris Obure, recently told the press of his opposition to plant biotechnology. He said that although biotech is a superior way of producing food, it might be detrimental to agricultural development in Kenya and other developing nations. The minister stated that biotech was geared towards profit by multinationals, which could in the long run obstruct agricultural progress. The next day, Obure changed his tone and praised biotechnology and restated the Kenyan government’s policy on the matter. Obure told the press, ‘The Government has not changed its policy. In fact, we are carrying research on biotechnology and its use.’ TS
TRENDS in Plant Science Vol.6 No.4 April 2001
Arsenic gets a brake
smell in locating host plants. They also show that application of odors from non-host plants to host plants helps to repel the aphids and protect the sprayed plants from attack. NC
Wood preservation, it’s a gas
Photograph courtesy of Doug Scofield.
Brake fern (Pteris vittata) is capable of hyperaccumulating arsenic, which makes it an attractive candidate for bioremediation [Nature (2001) 409, 579]. Arsenic is a heavy metal that is both a poison and a carcinogen. Lena Ma and colleagues found that the brake fern concentrates a variety of arsenic species in the above-ground biomass within weeks of exposure. Even ferns grown in soil with low concentrations of arsenic accumulated >100 times the level of soil arsenic. Exposure to arsenic even resulted in biomass increases in the fern. The arsenic in the fern remained as a relatively toxic inorganic form. TS
CO2 receives such bad press in the context of global warming that it’s sometimes hard to imagine it can actually be useful. Aside from its importance in photosynthesis, workers at CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products (Australia) aim to patent their use of ‘supercritical’ CO2 as a delivery system for preservatives into wood. Supercritical CO2 combines a liquid’s capacity to dissolve materials with a gas’ ability to penetrate the micropores of timber, particularly in otherwise difficult woods. Unfortunately, upon reversion to the gaseous state, the CO2 goes back into the atmosphere. (http://www.csiro.au/page.asp?type= mediaRelease&id=Prsupercritical) NC
Healthy eating, a taxing issue
Virtually, the ultimate model plant Use of model species and model systems – from Arabidopsis to Zebra fish – is all the rage for studying biological phenomena. A new research facility in Australia, The Centre for Plant Architecture Informatics (CPAI), formed by the CSIRO and the University of Queensland, aims to take such modeling to its ultimate extreme and study virtual crops. The centre will use advanced computing techniques and plant genetical, physiological, architectural and ecological information to model plant growth and development. The goal is to permit improved management of crops, forests, pests and weeds. (http://www.cpai.uq.edu.au) NC
A plant spray to keep aphids away Notwithstanding their usefulness in unravelling some of the mysteries of phloem transport, as far as the plant is concerned, aphids are a nuisance, draining food resources and introducing viruses. Research by Willem J. de Kogel et al. [Agro-FoodIndustry Hi-Tech (2000) Nov/Dec, 42–44] shows the importance of aphids’ sense of
Photograph courtesy of Keith Weller, USDA.
A new ‘take’ on the need to be environmentally aware is provided by the ideas of David Pimmentel of Cornell University (USA). He argues that foods should be taxed in relation to the environmental cost of their production. Thus, animal products such as pork and beef, whose production uses up substantial resources, should be taxed more than, for example, fish or honey. Not surprisingly, the most efficiently produced foods are fruit and vegetables. However, it would be interesting to compare the cost of production of genetically modified maize versus wild type. [Motluk A. (2001) New Sci. 169, 8] NC Nigel Chaffey [email protected] Trevor Stokes [email protected]
http://plants.trends.com 1360-1385/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.