Nitrogen fertilisers are a major part of crop production. Crops need nitrogen to convert sunlight into sugars effectively, and so the nitrogen fertiliser keeps the plant fresh and alive. But like most fertilisers, the nitrogen fertiliser has its disadvantages, which primarily affect the environment. A group of researchers from Washington University have come up with a new fertiliser that is produced by a special kind of bacterium. The team is […]

Researchers at York University have discovered that moose saliva may help the animals control a potential dangerous toxin found in the grass they frequently eat. A professor of biology at York University said biologists at the university enlisted the help of the Toronto Zoo in collecting spit samples from the captive animals. Dawn Bazely said the saliva was then applied to a grass which hosts the toxic fungus. The fungus […]

Plants can not only sense caterpillars that are munching on their leaves but they defend themselves by producing chemicals that will drive the bugs away. This is the startling conclusion of researchers at the University of Missouri who combines sound vibrations of munching caterpillars with chemical analysis of leaves. This new discovery adds to previous studies that suggested that plant growth can be influenced by sound and that plants respond […]