A team of scientists, including Gail Taylor of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, has identified a gene in poplar trees that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height by as much as 200 percent. Discovery of the “Booster” gene has enormous potential for both the nation’s efforts to create plant-based jet fuel and to boost the yield of key food crops.
Students and postdoctoral researchers can make career connections and build their networks at events hosted by Seed Central, and the next one is coming up at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the ARC Ballroom on the UC Davis campus. The guest speaker will be Mohsen Mesgaran, an associate professor in the Department of Plant Sciences whose research uses biological and technical approaches to manage weeds with fewer chemicals.
Nearly 40 high school students dropped iodine into test tubes during a special class recently at UC Davis. They wanted to see if certain genes affecting the starch in potatoes had been passed on to the plants being tested in the little tubes.
