At the Botanical Congress today

• Secrets of a voodoo plant revealed – it could reshape Australian crops, and rescue African farmers from a disastrous plant parasite
• How cotton was born: a million year-old mating opens up an improved future
• Is there too much cyanide in imported cassava products?
• Sister Water Lily meets the Big Bad Banksia Man – do they hold the key to a new era in botany education?
• Why life depends on plants and what we need to do to for biodiversity and humanity – an op ed from Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus,MissouriBotanical Garden. [continue reading…]

At the Botanical Congress today

• Secrets of a voodoo plant revealed – it could reshape Australian crops, and rescue African farmers from a disastrous plant parasite
• How cotton was born: a million year-old mating opens up an improved future
• Is there too much cyanide in imported cassava products?
• Sister Water Lily meets the Big Bad Banksia Man – do they hold the key to a new era in botany education?
• Why life depends on plants and what we need to do to for biodiversity and humanity – an op ed from Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus,MissouriBotanical Garden. [continue reading…]

The world’s favourite tree

The world loves our eucalypts. Now Eucalyptus had become the world’s favourite tree for farming and today in Melbourne its genome is revealed at the International Botanical Congress.

Other stories today include: a series of talks on how plants will respond to climate change; more on the future of wine and the Breathing Planet Programme. [continue reading…]

The world’s most farmed tree has had its genome read, opening the way to new breeding, biofuel, and conservation opportunities.

The genome of one of Australia’s biggest Eucalyptus trees, the Flooded Gum or Eucalyptus grandis, has now been mapped, allowing scientists and conservationists an insight into the secrets of an important piece of Australiana. [continue reading…]

The world’s botanists are invading Melbourne from Sunday evening.
Some of the interesting people and issues include: [continue reading…]

Can we design plant roots to use less water?  A Queensland scientist says yes, and her genetic discoveries are now being used by sorghum growers as a first step to drought-resistant food crops by changing the shape of the roots to absorb more water.
[continue reading…]