MAX FACTS
hydroponic news, tips and trivia
Scientists Identify
Disease-Fighting
Plant Response
University of Missouri researchers have
identified a protein in a common weed
that could help crops of the future fight off
devastating infections. Arabidopsis, a weed
related to the mustard plant, contains immune
receptors that act as sentinels to detect pathogens
and trigger an ‘alarm’ that leads to a vigorous plant defense response.
The researchers believe that further study could lead to ways to add the
alarm response to plants missing the protein or to amplify the response
in plants that already have it, which could eventually help crops like soybeans fend off pathogens without the use of chemicals.
(Source: sciencedaily.com)
New Porsche
Headquarters Goes
Green
Porsche’s new 200,000 square foot United
States headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia will
Goi
sport natural ventilation, on-site energy
ng G
reen
generation and green roofs that will reduce
the heat-island effect and filter rainwater before
it can return to the city’s water system, according to a
spokesman from the designers, architecture firm HOK.
The designers are aiming to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification with the futuristic complex,
which will accommodate up to 400 employees.
(Source: treehugger.com)
Houston Bread Truck Becomes
“Invasive Plant Eradication Unit”
A former bread truck has
been converted into a mobile headquarters to serve
as a workstation, laboratory,
bookmobile and vehicle
for public education in the
battle against invasive plant
species along the Buffalo
Bayou and its tributaries.
The customized truck—meant to draw public attention to the issue of
plant species that are taken out of their natural ecosystems and placed
in areas where they have no predators or competition, often taking over
from native species and diminishing local biodiversity—was converted
for the purpose of re-educating the public, complete with detailed images of invasive species on its exterior.
(Source: treehugger.com)
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Maximum Yield USA | February 2012