Rockville, Maryland, October 21, 2019 – The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Blake C. Meyers to serve as editor-in-chief of The Plant Cell beginning January 1, 2020. The Plant Cell publishes novel research of particular significance in plant biology, especially in the... Read more

The activity of this gene controls the timing of esterification in grain, which is related to storage and nutritional qualities of bread wheat and other grains. This work provides insight into the timing and control of esterification, related to storage and nutritional qualities of bread wheat and other grains. ASPB... Read more

Honor to be presented at Plant Biology 2019 in San Jose, California ROCKVILLE, MD – The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce that Pamela Ronald is the recipient of its 2019 Leadership in Science Policy Public Service Award. The ASPB Science Policy Committee awards the Leadership... Read more

ASPB is pleased to announce the publication in The Plant Cell of important research describing the discovery of a key regulator of fruit length variation in cucumber. The discovery of a fruit length modulator has implications for cucumber breeding. Fruit size is a major determinant of yield and market value.... Read more

A new open-source device allows scientists to identify treatments and conditions that affect the mechanical properties of plant cells Determining how various treatments and conditions affect the mechanical properties of plant cells could allow scientists to understand plant growth at the cellular level and devise ways to enhance it. In... Read more

The discovery of the gene behind stem juiciness in sweet sorghum could have huge agricultural implications Sorghum, the fifth most popular crop worldwide, is used to create many products in the United States and is widely consumed by people in developing countries. The discovery of a crucial gene controlling stem... Read more

ASPB is pleased to announce that The Taproot, a Plantae podcast, has received a Gold EXCEL award for excellence in DIGITAL MEDIA: Podcast (Other category) from the Association Media and Publishing. The EXCEL Awards recognize excellence and leadership in nonprofit association media, publishing, marketing, and communications. Winners received their awards... Read more

Discovery of the biosynthetic pathway of a plant metabolite lays the groundwork for its use as an anti-diabetes drug. Montbretin A (MbA), a natural compound with great potential for the treatment of type-2 diabetes, was discovered in the ornamental plant montbretia ten years ago, but it can’t be produced on... Read more

(ASPB) is pleased to announce that Plantae, the online home for the global plant science community, has been awarded an Excellence in New Communications Award from the Society for New Communications Research of The Conference Board (SNCR) in the Communications, Communities, and Collaboration category – nonprofit division. This prestigious award honors organizations for their exemplary... Read more

Discovery of a gene that helps rice plants grow in salty soil paves the way to developing salt-tolerant crops Soil salinity poses a major threat to food security, greatly reducing the yield of agricultural crops. Rising global temperatures are expected to accelerate the buildup of salt in soil, placing an... Read more

Expression of the nitrate transporter gene OsNRT1.1A improves yield and accelerates maturation. Using nitrogen fertilizer increases crop yields, but excess runoff causes environmental pollution. Moreover, in grains such as rice, large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer can delay flowering, leaving the crop vulnerable to late-season cold weather. A recent study in... Read more

Model plant studies show key protein functions in the exchange of genetic material Fanconi anemia is a human genetic disorder with severe effects, including an increased risk of cancer and infertility. Work in animal systems has identified many factors involved in Fanconi anemia and showed that these factors function in... Read more

A group of prestigious not-for-profit scientific membership societies today announced the launch of the Scientific Society Publisher Alliance (SSPA) (byscientistsforscience.org), an initiative focused on building awareness of and support for publication of scientific research by scientist-run scientific societies. The SSPA started as a collaboration of scientific societies that came together... Read more

Periodic review of the regulatory regime governing the use of biotechnology products is an important aspect of maintaining public safety and ensuring consumer confidence. (ASPB) appreciates the efforts of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and... Read more

Scientists develop a new approach to genetic modification of maize and other grains Genetic modification of plants might be controversial in commercial applications, but it is undeniably useful for research purposes. Despite years of effort, it has been remarkably difficult to develop efficient methods for transformation of grain crops. Work... Read more