Tag Archives: plant breeding

In findings that elucidate Mendel’s 19th C work, gene triggers asexual births in dandelion

Posted on January 18, 2022 by David Adam

Historians have long debated why the ground-breaking hereditability experiments of Gregor Mendel languished, largely unnoticed for decades. His experience with the humble hawkweed probably played a role. Despite Mendel’s best efforts, the common flowering plant refused to breed in the … Continue reading →

Variation in a single gene increases plant yield in groups but not in pairs

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Carolyn Beans

Groups of diverse plant species often produce more seeds than monocultures. But whether plants ramp up yield in response to genetically distinct, direct neighbors, as opposed to a broader neighborhood of diverse plants, remains an open question in ecology. “It’s … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Single gene mutation may boost recombination and help produce better crops

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Jessica P. Johnson

As climate change and population growth threaten to destabilize global food security, plant breeders are ramping up efforts to create better, more productive crops. But in order to introduce new traits, breeding techniques typically rely on rare genetic recombination events … Continue reading →