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Etaerio - A Plant News Weblog
Etaerio: an aggregate fruit. Etaerio: an aggregation of news stories about plants.
Bio-Diversity
Category(-ies): Botanical Art
Christoph Niemann is an award-winning graphic artist, whose work has appeared on the covers of such magazines as The New Yorker and the Atlantic Monthly.
In a recent posting on his weblog with the New York Times, Christoph turned his attention to autumn leaves...
Links:
- Bio-Diversity (the weblog post)
- Abstract City, Christoph's weblog for the New York Times
- Christoph Niemann, his personal web site
Thank you to Dr. Andrew Riseman who first let me know about this.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 11:28 AM on November 19, 2009 | Comments (0)
Why is Rye as a Cover Crop an Effective Weed Killer?
Category(-ies): Plant Diseases and Pests
And another from Claire...
John Teasdale from the USDA's Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory has teamed up with Cliff Rice from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service to investigate the science behind why rye works as a cover crop against weeds. Rye is often used on organic farms as an alternative to herbicides, because of its ability to prevent soil erosion and block sunlight, thereby suppressing weed invasion. Teasdale and Rice have tested whether organic compounds found in rye, called benzoxazinoids, are also responsible for weed suppression. Their results suggest that benzoxazinoids do affect soil chemistry in ways that enhance the weed-suppressing abilities of rye and are worthy of further study.
Links:
- Why rye cover crops are great natural weed killers via the USDA's Agricultural Research Service
- Rye as a Cover Crop - Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (PDF)
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM on November 2, 2009 | Comments (0)
Wild Banana Plant Marks Milestone for International Seed Bank
Category(-ies): Plant Conservation
...and another entry by Claire, UBC BG work-study student:
A seed bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has collected 10% of the world's wild plants in its attempt to secure seeds from a quarter of the world's flowering plant species by 2020. The latest species addition is a wild banana, Musa itinerans, an important plant for wild elephants in Asia and currently under threat from agriculture. The seed bank is a partnership between more than 120 organizations in 54 countries. Stephen Hopper from the Royal Botanic Gardens describes the seed bank as an "insurance strategy" against future biodiversity losses.
Links:
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM on October 29, 2009 | Comments (0)
Sweet Potato Protection is More Than Skin Deep
Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries , Plant Diseases and Pests
Thank you again to Claire Thompson for providing another entry:
Researchers from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service have found beneficial compounds in sweet potatoes that provide protection against plant diseases. The research team found measurable amounts of protective compounds called caffeoylquinic acids, which act as antioxidants against several types of plant fungi.
Links:
- Sweet Potato Protection is More Than Skin Deep via the USDA Agricultural Research Service
- Harrison et al. 2008. Contents of Caffeoylquinic Acid Compounds in the Storage Roots of Sixteen Sweetpotato Genotypes and Their Potential Biological Activity. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 133:492-500.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:42 PM on October 26, 2009 | Comments (0)
Bananas Over Plastic
Category(-ies): Novel Uses of Plants
Thanks again to Claire Thompson for providing an entry. Claire writes:
The Polymer Processing Research Centre at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is contributing to the Badana project, an initiative with aims to convert mass wastes from banana plantations into usable forms of plastic. The plastic will be used to make items ranging from oil tanks to plastic dolls. Benefits from the project are said to include the reduction of polyethylene production, job creation in the Canary Islands, and financial benefits to the banana plantations. If successful, the Badana project may offset the 25,000 tonnes of banana waste that is dumped into ravines in the Canary Islands each year.
Links:
- Banana Plants May Be Used In Production Of Plastic Products via ScienceDaily
- Queen's researcher 'go bananas' via BBC News
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM on October 22, 2009 | Comments (0)
"Extinct" flower found in Isle of Man garden
Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries
Claire Thompson, UBC BG work-study student, provides another write-up:
A cultivar of gladiolus thought to be extinct has been found in a garden on the Isle of Man. Gardener Edward Huyton has since donated individuals for propagation to the National Trust in England.
Links:
- 'Extinct' flower found in garden via the BBC
- What's in your garden? via BBC Isle of Man
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM on October 19, 2009 | Comments (0)
Urban Plant Extinctions Pose Threat to Global Biodiversity
Category(-ies): Plant Conservation
Another thank you to Claire Thompson for providing a write-up. Claire is a UBC Botanical Garden work-study student. Claire writes:
Botanists from 5 countries have compiled data on plant extinctions from 22 cities around the world. According to their study, both the pace of urban change and the proportion of native plants remaining in a city influence the variation in extinction rates. Modern cities were found to carry a large extinction debt. For example, Melbourne, Australia is expected to lose half of its native plants species over the next 100 years. These urban plant extinctions are a threat to worldwide biodiversity, highlighting the need for protection of native flora.
Links:
- How cities drive plants extinct via BBC Earth News
- Hahs et al 2009. A global synthesis of plant extinction rates in urban areas. Ecol. Letters 12:1-9 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01372.x
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:59 PM on October 14, 2009 | Comments (0)
