June 2, 2023
End of the tunnel for crop loss due to parasitic plants
Parasitic plants devastate entire fields of crops every year, resulting in billions of dollars of food lost. As food prices rise, protecting crops from parasitic plants is crucial to keeping meals affordable. Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a path to rescuing crops by…
August 16, 2021
Hybrid receptor from Lumba lab suggests how parasitic plants evolve
Professor Shelley Lumba’s lab found out how benign plants develop the ability to become parasites on other plants in new research published in PNAS. Many plants release strigolactone hormones to promote beneficial interactions with soil fungi. Parasitic plants like witchweed can sense…