Scientists have identified a key gene that helps seeds decide whether to germinate.

The MFT gene stops seeds germinating in the dark or under shady conditions, where their chances of survival would be poor, according to new research from the University of York.

Protected riverbank habitats within areas of oil palm cultivation can play a key role in reducing the negative impacts on tropical bird numbers but need to be increased in size, new research from Kent has shown.

A new way of exploring the Mighty Mississippi and surrounding aquifers will take flight in August not by boat; rather, the sky, to identify what resources lie beneath.A new way of exploring the Mighty Mississippi and surrounding aquifers will take flight in August not by boat; rather, the sky, to identify what resources lie beneath.

Despite international breeding efforts, advanced agronomy and effective management of pests and diseases, sugarcane yields have been static for decades owing to constraints on culm development. The culm’s sugar storage capacity is physically limited, restricting the volume of sucrose and biomass that can be obtained from the crop for sugar and ethanol production, according to experts in the area. 

Abandoned farmlands hold potential for the preservation of wetland and grassland birds as rehabilitation zones.

Think summer holidays and you’ll likely call up images of a beautiful beach or a glittering blue lake. But more and more lakes, rivers and coastal areas are plagued by an oversupply of nutrients that causes algae to grow at an explosive rate, which can eventually lead to water bodies that can’t support aquatic life.

Will they bite?

Plants can’t do without phosphorus. But there is often a ‘withdrawal limit’ on how much phosphorus they can get from the soil. That’s because phosphorus in soils is often in forms that plants can’t take up. That affects how healthy and productive the plants can be.

New real-time strategy for future foot-and-mouth outbreaks finds that focusing on surveillance and vaccination is most effective method to quickly fight spread of the virus

An international group of researchers has demonstrated that branching complexity of rivers affects regional population stability and persistence in nature, contrary to current theories which suggest the importance of an ecosystem’s size.