Home / Resources and Writings / Weblog / April 2005
Human Gene Inserted into Rice
Category(-ies): Plants, Food and Medicine
Researchers at the National Institute of Agro-Biological Sciences in Tsukuba, Japan have developed rice containing a human gene, which causes the liver to produce enzymes that break down toxins. Currently GM rice is resistant to only one herbicide, but the new rice may be able to tolerate thirteen herbicides. The development could give growers options for weed control and help prevent the build up of toxins in the soil.
Continue reading "Human Gene Inserted into Rice"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 8:00 AM
Poison Garden Created to Protect Children
Category(-ies): Plants in the Landscape , Plants, Food and Medicine
Having seen children brought into the emergency room after ingesting poisonous plants found in their houses and yards, Gloria Leifer, an associate professor of pediatric nursing at Riverside Community College decided to design a special garden to educate nursing students about dangerous plants commonly found around the home. The garden, started in 1998, serves as a teaching tool for the college and is popular with students from all fields of study
Continue reading "Poison Garden Created to Protect Children"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:32 PM
Ozarks Botanical Garden Creates Educational Displays for the Backyard
Category(-ies): Other Botanical Gardens , Plants in the Landscape
The Botanical Garden Society of the Ozarks announced plans to create nine diverse gardens, each measuring 2,000 square feet, to demonstrate creative possibilities that can be adapted to the average backyard landscape. The concept arose from questions received from newcomers to the area about which plants grow best in the local climate.
Continue reading "Ozarks Botanical Garden Creates Educational Displays for the Backyard"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:37 PM
Human Impact on the Global Ecology
Category(-ies): Climate Change
David Suzuki and C.W. Nicol are two of the world's leading environmentalists. Well known for his ability to present tough issues in clear language, Suzuki has written over thirty books and produced award-winning documentaries. Nicol is well respected for his work on conservation issues in his home country, Japan. Reporter, Stephen Hesse recently interviewed the two at Earth Day Tokyo.
Continue reading "Human Impact on the Global Ecology"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:50 PM
Many Americans Eat Biotech Foods Unknowingly
Category(-ies): Plant Legal News and Issues , Plants, Food and Medicine
A survey conducted by the Food Biotechnology Program at the Rutgers Food Policy Institute found that even though genetically modified ingredients are present in about three quarters of processed food products in the US, most Americans are unaware of them. Less than half the people surveyed knew that biotech products were being sold.
Continue reading "Many Americans Eat Biotech Foods Unknowingly"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:24 PM
China's Jiangxi Province to Expand Gene Base for Endangered Plants
Category(-ies): Other Botanical Gardens , Plant Conservation
East China's Jiangxi Province has plans to expand its botanical garden in Jiujiang to 231 hectares, over ten times its current holdings. The garden has served as a gene base for the propagation of rare plants. It has sent thousands of cuttings to research stations and botanical gardens around the country. Expansion is expected to be completed by 2020.
Link: East China province to expand gene base for rare plants from the People's Daily
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:58 PM
The Optimum Distance for Plant Migration
Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries , Plant Relationships
Botanist, Jane Molofsky has conducted experiments in plant migration using a common N. American weed, Pennsylvania bittercress. The weed was a good candidate for study. It has a short two and a half month life cycle and its seeds burst forth from the parent, scattering a good distance. The experiment looks at the natural spacing required to sustain plant populations.
Continue reading "The Optimum Distance for Plant Migration"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:20 PM
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Faces Invasive Weed
Category(-ies): Invasive Plants , Other Botanical Gardens
A 16-hectare plot of Britain's beloved bluebells is under threat from an invasive weed. Perfoliate alexanders (Smyrnium perfoliatum) were intentionally introduced to the gardens, but are shading the bluebells, robbing them of the sunlight they need to survive. There is a danger of the weed becoming a serious problem in Britain as it thrives in the same conditions as the native bluebells.
Continue reading "Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Faces Invasive Weed"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:47 PM
Canada's Plan to Honour Kyoto Commitment
Category(-ies): Climate Change
Canada took the first step in honouring its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the release of its plan: Moving Forward on Climate Change: A Plan for Honouring our Kyoto Commitment. The plan sets forth programs and policies that will maintain Canada's economic competitiveness while incorporating climate change considerations. Measures in the plan should allow Canada to close its greenhouse gas emissions gap by 270 megatonnes by 2012.
Continue reading "Canada's Plan to Honour Kyoto Commitment"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 5:13 PM
New Invasives Spread Rapidly in Canada
Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Invasive Plants , Sources of Botanical News
Recent assessments of invasive plants in Canada have given top rankings to plants that were not mentioned or were low on assessments made just twelve years ago. The rapid spread of the new invaders was a concern at the 2004 Canadian Botanical Association's second symposium on invasive alien plants in Canada. The quick expansion of the plants is an indication of the need for coordinated environmental monitoring programs and early detection of invaders.
Continue reading "New Invasives Spread Rapidly in Canada"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:02 PM
China's Demand for Wood Impacts World's Forests
Category(-ies): Plant Conservation , Plant Legal News and Issues
According to a WWF report, released in March, China will soon be the leader in the global wood market. Increasing demand for wood products is putting pressure on forests in other countries. Much of China's timber imports come from countries where logging is poorly regulated. The report, China's Wood Market, Trade and the Environment cites China as being a major destination for illegally harvested or traded timber.
Continue reading "China's Demand for Wood Impacts World's Forests"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:15 PM
Mendel's Genetic Laws Challenged by New Findings
Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries
By Mendel's law of inheritance if both parents have two copies of a gene responsible for a particular trait the offspring should exhibit the trait. Purdue University researchers recently observed an exception to the rule in a mutant form of Arabidopsis. Ten percent of the offspring of plants, known to have two genes for a mutation called hothead, exhibited the normal form of their grandparents even though it did not show up in their genetic makeup.
Continue reading "Mendel's Genetic Laws Challenged by New Findings"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:04 PM
Committee Report on Royal Botanical Gardens
Category(-ies): Other Botanical Gardens
A report released on April 1, by the Royal Botanical Gardens Review Committee on the status and future of the provincial garden in Ontario has been well received by stakeholders and public officials. The garden has been experiencing financial difficulties and administrators had feared they would have to close the facility. The Review Committee was co-chaired by former Hamilton mayor Robert Wade and regional planning expert David Carter.
Continue reading "Committee Report on Royal Botanical Gardens"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:36 PM
Work With Arabidopsis Could Lead to Cancer Treatment
Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries , Plants, Food and Medicine
UCLA plant biologist, Steven E. Jacobsen has been named an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Jacobsen is noted for using Arabidopsis as a model for understanding DNA methylation. “This process of methylation is fundamental to controlling growth and development in both plant and animal cells, and is important in some cancers: for example, cancer cells silence tumor suppressor genes through methylation and, as a result, uncontrolled cell growth occurs”(UCLA News).
Continue reading "Work With Arabidopsis Could Lead to Cancer Treatment"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:10 PM
Nepenthes University
Category(-ies): Botanists and Horticulturists , Plant Explorers
Michael Catalani began growing carnivorous plants at an early age. Intrigued by a photo that he saw in an old set of encyclopedias on a visit to his grandmother in 1975, his fascination with the genus Nepenthes began. The plants were very rare in cultivation at the time, but eventually he found a source and ordered his first specimen. Since that time he has grown more than 80 of the recognized species of genus.
Continue reading "Nepenthes University"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:24 PM
New Library of Plant Genes Created
Category(-ies): Botanical Resources
Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have released a unique library that allows researchers to make complex comparisons of genes and species. “Named Phytome, the unique library is a compilation of voluminous genetic data on 39 plant species. The list includes almost all the world's most valuable crops, among them rice, wheat, corn and potatoes.” (UNC)
Continue reading "New Library of Plant Genes Created"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:25 PM
Brazil Launches Vast Conservation Effort in Amazon
Category(-ies): Plant Conservation
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the protection of 3.7 million hectares of forest in two new land reserves in the Brazilian state of Para. The new parks will help connect protected areas of the savannah ecosystem in the south to the rain forests of the central Amazon.
Continue reading "Brazil Launches Vast Conservation Effort in Amazon"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 5:23 PM
Gardening for the Birds
Category(-ies): Plant Relationships , Plants in the Landscape
Although annual garden bird surveys in Wales seem to indicate declining populations in recent years, bird sightings in one neighbourhood are on the rise. Bird landings in one garden in Roath have tripled, since it's owners first began taking part in annual bird counts, in 1966. Residents of the neighbourhood attribute much of the population increase to the natural gardening methods that have been adopted in the area.
Continue reading "Gardening for the Birds"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:48 PM
Drylandscope
Category(-ies): Climate Change , Plants in the Landscape , Sources of Botanical News
Drylands encompass about 40% of the earth's land surface. The fragile ecosystems that have developed in these areas, characterized by low annual rainfall and low soil fertility, are particularly prone to degradation. For the people living in these regions sustainable land and water use policies are essential to survival.
Continue reading "Drylandscope"
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:18 PM
