The Brassica napus boron deficient inflorescence transcriptome resembles a wounding and infection response.

Oilseed rape and other crops of Brassica napus have a high demand for boron (B). Boron deficiencies result in the inhibition of root growth, and eventually premature flower abortion. Understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying flower abortion in B-limiting conditions could provide the basis to enhance B-efficiency and prevent B-deficiency-related yield losses.

Temperature-driven micro-fracturing in granite: The interplay between microstructure, mineralogy and tensile strength.

High temperatures exert a significant influence on the mechanical and fluid flow properties of rocks and minerals. In crystalline rocks, differential thermal expansion of minerals is known to induce microfracture damage leading to changes in bulk volume and tensile strength. Here we report new data from thermally treated core samples of Devon Granite in order to constrain the interplay between tensile strength and thermally-induced damage with respect to the background mineralogy.

More sustainable vegetable oil: Balancing productivity with carbon storage opportunities.

Intensive cultivation and post-harvest vegetable oil production stages are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Variation between production systems and reporting disparity have resulted in discordance in previous emissions estimates. The aim of this study was to assess global systems-wide variation in GHG emissions resulting from palm, soybean, rapeseed and sunflower oil production.

Application of sodium selenate to cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) increases shoot and grain Se partitioning with strong genotypic interactions.

Backgorund: Cowpea is a crop widely used in developing countries due its rusticity. Besides its rich genotypic variability, most breeding programs do not explore its potential to improve elements uptake. Selenium (Se) is a scarce element in most soils, resulting in its deficiency being common in human diets.

Magnesium and calcium overaccumulate in the leaves of a schengen3 mutant of Brassica rapa.

Magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) are essential mineral nutrients poorly supplied in many human food systems. In grazing livestock, Mg and Ca deficiencies are costly welfare issues. Here, we report a Brassica rapa loss-of-function schengen3 (sgn3) mutant, braA.