MAX FACTS
growing tips, news and trivia
Grow or Defend? How Plants Decide
Scientists have discovered how plants use steroid hormones to choose
growth over defense when their survival depends on it. The findings
could be used to engineer crops that combine size with pathogen resistance. A major dilemma faced by plants is whether to invest their energy
in growth or defending against pathogens,
say researchers. A key protein, BZR1, is
responsible for rapidly tipping the balance
in favor of growth and ignoring pathogen attack when it is a matter
of life and death. This is
the case when a seed
germinates in the soil, for
example. The key protein
identified controls the
activity of genes related to
immunity and is involved in
growth mediated by steroid
hormones called brassinosteroids. The current study
shows that reducing brassinosteroid levels can have an added
benefit of making crops better
able to resist disease.
(Source: sciencedaily.com)
26
Maximum Yield USA | February 2014
Georgia Pecan Growers Set
Sights on India
Georgia pecan growers have had great success
exporting their nut to far-off places including
China, Turkey and Dubai. But the next big
market the industry is trying to crack is
proving difficult. India could be as big a
market as China, they say, but the high
tariff it imposes on pecans threatens to
stifle sales. The industry has enlisted the
help of officials in Washington
to press its case. With its
large population and rising
middle class, India offers
the prospect of a large new
market for pecan growers.
That is important because the
pecan industry relies heavily on
exports—about one-third of total
US production is bought by
China alone. Georgia growers
have been planting thousands
of pecan trees in recent years,
anticipating a growth in exports.
(Source: ajc.com)