Plant Biology

How Plants Become Bushy, or Not

For many plants, more branches means more fruit. But how does a plant branch or not branch? New research from the Department of Plant Biology has shown how plants break down the hormone strigolactone, which suppresses branching, to become more “bushy.” Using a combination of structural biology, biochemistry, and genetic engineering, the team confirmed the specific enzymes responsible for dismantling strigolactone, and their mechanism. Understanding how strigolactone is regulated could have big implications for many crop plants.

Joel Ledford Receives 2024 ASUCD Excellence in Teaching Award

Joel Ledford, an associate professor of teaching in the Department of Plant Biology, has received the 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Associated Students, University of California, Davis (ASUCD). The annual award celebrates teaching faculty for their dedication to students and undergraduate education. 

“Getting an award like this from students means a lot to me,” Ledford said. “It’s an inspiring thing, and it makes you want to be a better teacher.”

How Plants Sense Scent

Plants need to be able to communicate with themselves—by sending signals from their leaves to their roots to their flowers—so that they can coordinate growth and optimize resource use. They also need to communicate with other plants and organisms, which they achieve by releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tiny molecules that are often associated with distinct smells. Scientists know a lot about how plants emit these odorous signals, however very little is known about how they receive and interpret them.

Plant Biologists Identify Promising New Fungicides

A promising new fungicide to fight devastating crop diseases has been identified by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The chemical, ebselen, prevented fungal infections in apples, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes and roses, and improved symptoms of pre-existing fungal infection in rice.

How Tomato Plants Use Their Roots to Ration Water During Drought

Plants have to be flexible to survive environmental changes, and the adaptive methods they deploy must often be as changeable as the shifts in climate and condition to which they adapt. To cope with drought, plant roots produce a water-repellent polymer called suberin that blocks water from flowing up towards the leaves, where it would quickly evaporate. Without suberin, the resulting water loss would be like leaving the tap running.