Scientists have been interested in the effects that microorganisms have on their host plants for over a century, however, recently researchers have been able to better tackle these questions with the advent of new technology. In particular, beneficial microorganisms associated with roots can increase crop resiliency against disease, pests and extreme weather events, making this […]

We have discovered a set of naturally occurring GATA transcription factors that increase chlorophyll levels, chloroplast numbers and starch in plants. Maize (corn) and Oryza (rice) lines have been created by Syngenta and are being analyzed in the Rothstein laboratory. The project primarily involves determining the exact genes that are controlled by these transcription factors, […]

Non-Apis bees are now recognized as significant pollinators. For most crops visited by bees, pesticides are used for pest management, and there is concern about the potential negative effects of pesticides on wild and managed bees. Most toxicity studies involving bees have focused on honey bees (Apis mellifera), partially because honey bee data are required […]