
Plants Sex Influence Offspring Seed Size and Survival
June 25, 2010 |
Researchers from the Universities of Bath, Exeter and the Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences in Germany showed that male plants can influence the size of seeds of the offsprings. Model plant Arabidopsis were used to breed female plants with a variety of different male plants. The researchers found that the size of seeds produced with each pairing showed that specific strain of male plant can produce bigger seeds. Seed size was thought previously to be controlled by the mother's genes but the experiment showed that the father plant can also have an effect on seed size.
Dr. Paula Kover, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bath, explained: "Seed size can make a huge difference to whether a seedling is likely to survive, so you would imagine that there would be an optimum seed size for mothers to produce, balancing the likelihood of survival with the cost in energy of producing them. The next step will be to identify the specific genes that influence seed size."
The study, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society could open new avenues to increase crop yields and improve food security for an ever-growing global human population.
The news article can be viewed at http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2010/06/22/seed-size/
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Halving Hunger through "Business as Unusual"
- UK Support for Global Food Security
- Report Says Enhance Food Security in Africa through S & T
- S&W Company Releases First Ever Group 8 Dormancy Salt Tolerant Alfalfa
- US Supreme Court Favors Release of Roundup Ready Alfalfa
- Pioneer Experts Warns Soybean Growers Against White Mold
- INIA Disproves Claim of Illegally Planted Transgenic Maize in Peru
- KSU and Monsanto Collaborate to Develop Better Wheat Varieties
- Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug Program 2010 Winners
- GM Canola in High Demand in Western Australia
- Malaysian GMAC Formed
- Australian Approval for Field Testing of GM Wheat for Drought and Heat Resistance
- Golden Spirulina Being Studied in Thailand
- Cotton Seed Distributors to Release Three New Cotton Varieties
- EFSA Meets with Member States re ERA
- Plants Sex Influence Offspring Seed Size and Survival
- A New Test for the Anthurium Blight in Europe
-
Research Highlights
- Development of Monsanto's Glyphosate-resistant Cotton
- Scientists Investigate the Nitrogen and Genotype Effects on Protein and Amino Acid Distribution in Rice
- Adaptation Could Improve Maize Yield and Evapotranspiration Amidst Climate Change
-
Announcements
- European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology 2010 in Edinburgh
- Q-bank Databases Officially Launched
-
Resources
- Biosafety Capacities - FAO
- Climate Change and Agriculture: Impacts Adaption and Mitigation
- Video: Technical Meeting on the Updated Guidance Document on ERA of GM Plants
- GMO-Safety.eu
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet