100 Plant Science Questions http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions 100 Plant Science Questions Would it be valuable, and/or worthwhile, to engage the public in decisions about plant science research, for example; via web based questionnaires, clipboard surveys or select targeted groups. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/380 Anonymous 1st April 2009 Could plant science be targeted to research specific pragmatic outcome areas for industry sectors - such as the production of structural bio-engineered building materials. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/379 Anonymous 1st April 2009 Do the current plant science funding mechanisms in the UK successfully support the plant science community - or do they simply service the largest institutions. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/378 Anonymous 1st April 2009 Develop rules and regulations to understand limitations regarding modifications of plants http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/377 srimathie dissanayake 1st April 2009 Why and how do some wild relatives of crops survive even under hazardous conditions? Need to understand the mechanism behind this both genetic and other factors http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/376 srimathie dissanayake 1st April 2009 How can Asia produce more rice with a minimum amount of water? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/375 srimathie dissanayake 1st April 2009 Developing heat resistant crop varieties http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/374 srimathie dissanayake 1st April 2009 How to restore sustainable agriculture systems, if a disastrous situation arises due to rapid development in plant science http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/373 srimathie dissanayake 1st April 2009 How to ensure the safety or suitability of consuming plant products which are produced by modified plants http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/372 srimathie dissanayake 1st April 2009 How do the genomic differences lead to the diversity of plant phenotypes observed in the world? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/371 Anonymous 31st March 2009 Why are some tissues/species so recalcitrant to tissue culture and regeneration whilst others are not? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/370 Anonymous 31st March 2009 How do we achieve high frequency targeted homologous recombination in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/369 Anonymous 31st March 2009 Are allellochemicals a practical and efficient way to control weeds? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/368 Valentin Esqueda 31st March 2009 Is it possible to speak about ‘’populations’’ of cross pollinated plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/367 Aleksandr Yesayan 31st March 2009 How can we use molecular tools to quantitatively measure the impact of climate change on the level of genetic diversity in wild plant populations? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/366 Nelli Hovhannisyan 31st March 2009 What useful and previously undocumented traits are there in landraces? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/364 Heike Vibrans 31st March 2009 What useful, previously undocumented traits are there in the landraces of domesticated plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/363 Heike Vibrans 31st March 2009 With decreasing cultivated land and increasing world population, how can we improve crop yields further while contributing to more sustainable agriculture http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/362 Pierre Devaux 31st March 2009 Should crop yield statistics routinely be expressed as harvestable energy (kJ) per hectare? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/361 graham king 31st March 2009 To what extent does environment affect heritable characteristics of plants ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/360 graham king 31st March 2009 Have the pharmaceutical industry invested sufficiently in plant science ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/359 graham king 31st March 2009 What limits the rate of recombination in plants of polyploid origin? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/358 graham king 31st March 2009 How rapidly can we domesticate new crops to fit the needs of late 21st century and beyond? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/357 Anonymous 31st March 2009 Do we have sufficeint knowledge to generate novel allelic and species biodiversity through mutation, modulation of epigenetic marks and GM ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/356 graham king 31st March 2009 To what extent can engineering of plant proteins reduce the world's appetite for inefficient production of meat? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/355 graham king 31st March 2009 What is the relationship between epigenetic variation and crop yield stability ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/354 graham king 31st March 2009 How do plants decide what to do? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/353 Ottoline Leyser 31st March 2009 Can we develop a biorefinery concept for the multiple extraction of different compounds from the same biomass and make this process economic http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/352 Guy Barker 31st March 2009 Could we speed up lychen growth to provide novel source of food in marginal environments http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/351 Guy Barker 31st March 2009 Can we stablise and reclaim areas of land we have made unsuable through poor agricultural practice and return them to production using correct plant succesions http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/350 Guy Barker 31st March 2009 Where can we find the novel alleles needed to improve existing crops and how can we exploit these when we find them? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/349 Gary Barker 31st March 2009 How can the scientific community better share knowledge and resources to ensure the greatest possible level of advancement and efficiency? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/348 Elaine Jensen 31st March 2009 How can we use knowledge from thousands of years of agriculture on land to facilitate mass cultivation and exploitation of algae? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/347 Alison Smith 31st March 2009 How can we influence, globally, policy-making and communities to grow the most efficient and productive crops for the land available, and can we base these choices on most likely climate change predictions? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/346 Elaine Jensen 31st March 2009 How can we harness the metabolic versatility of plants to generate novel crops and/or products from crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/345 Alison Smith 31st March 2009 How will existing beneficial plant-microbe relationships (i.e. rhizobial and mycorrhizal)be impacted by climate change fluctuations to soil temperatures and water stress? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/344 Elaine Jensen 31st March 2009 How can we develop a "systems" approach for the production of plant foods, from the field (soil conservation, fertilizer use, water use, etc) to processing, to point of sale and the consumer, in order to maximize sustainability and efficiency? In other words, how do we better manage and integrate all the food production steps and get stake holders such as governments, farmers, agronomists, seed companies, primary/secondary food processors and sales channels, working together to vastly improve the world wide effectiveness and efficiency (in energy, fertilizers, and water) of food production and distribution. Ultimately, the advances in this domain will spill over and nurture the inevitable growth in the sustainable production, and life-cycle use, of a vast array of plant based bioproducts which are coming in the future. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/343 Anonymous 31st March 2009 Should, and to what extent can, the value of plant science be judged solely on the basis of its potential to feed and fuel a growing world population? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/342 Stefan Kepinski 31st March 2009 How are subcellular spatial events such as nuclear migration, the plane and symmetry of cell division, and the polar development of specialised structures determined? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/341 Stefan Kepinski 31st March 2009 How do plant cells know what is up and what is down? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/340 Stefan Kepinski 31st March 2009 How can we shape the GCSE/A level curriculum so that teachers and students become excited by plant biology? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/339 Jerry Roberts 31st March 2009 Why do plant genomes harbour so many transposable elements? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/338 Katherine Steele 31st March 2009 Can the efficiency of plant breeding by improved without genetic modification? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/337 Katherine Steele 31st March 2009 Can we develop efficient gene targeting systems to underpin crop improvement and enable precise transgene insertion, targeted mutagenesis and allele replacement? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/336 Claire Halpin 30th March 2009 can modern agriculture embrace a polycultures system? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/335 rebecca horn 30th March 2009 Can plants be successfully utilized for large-scale remediation and reclamation efforts on degraded and/or toxic land? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/334 Amanda Werhane 30th March 2009 Can the ocean surface be sustainably utilized for growing food and/or fuel crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/333 Amanda Werhane 30th March 2009 Can we simultaneously feed and fuel the world with plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/332 Amanda Werhane 30th March 2009 Can government-funded Research Institutes contribute to future research in Plant Sciences; and if so, how? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/331 Anonymous 30th March 2009 What effects will fungal pathogens have upon the biodiversity of higher plants under conditions of future environmental change? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/330 Mark Robbins 30th March 2009 For commercial forestry can we consider species other than sitka spruce to meet a changing climate http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/329 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Should we utilise continental species and forms of deciduous trees rather than those of local provenance in order to better respond to climate change? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/328 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can we breed a pernennial fodder radish for small scale farm planting to provide over-winter feeding for farmland birds? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/327 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can the decline in farmland birds be reversed through breeding of crops capable of holding seed through to the Feb/March hungry gap? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/326 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can protein quality be increaed to offset the inevitable drop in protein content due to yield increase? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/325 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can wheat pre-harvest sprouting resistance be substantially increased as it continues to be the main problem for consistency of bread making quality? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/324 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Should glyphosate resistance in wheat be considered to control blackgrass (ergot) in light of more stringent herbicide restrictions? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/323 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can take all resistance in wheat be sourced from oats in order to increase NUE and grain yield, and reduce N leaching? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/322 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can GM provide a solution to intractable wheat pests such as aphids, bulb fly and slugs in order to meet increasingly stringent pesticide restrictions? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/321 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can resistance to BYDV be constructed in wheat in a similar way as achieved for viruses in tropical crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/320 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Does durable resistance to foliar disease really exisit in wheat and if so can it be exploited in a breeding programme http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/319 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can nodulation and rhizobium colonisation be transferred to wheat to achieve N fixation http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/318 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Can GM provide solutions for intractable traits in wheat http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/317 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Is it possible to generate a step change in wheat biomass through incorporation of a C4 or intermediate C3/C4 mechanism http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/316 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Is it possible to generate a step change in wheat biomass by exploiting high photosynthetic efficiency wild relatives http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/315 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Immediately reinvigorate cytogenetic investigations within the Triticeae to widen the genetic base for wheat yield, disease and pest resistance http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/314 John Bingham 30th March 2009 Are endogenous plant adaptaion mechanisms enough to keep up with the pace of man-made environmental change? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/313 sebastian marquardt 29th March 2009 Will biotechnologists succeed in propagating lethal yellowing immune coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) populations before such phytoplasma diseases totally devalue the usefulness of this once important pan-tropical crop, http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/312 Hugh Harries 29th March 2009 How we can create human resources with social compromisse and systemic interests, that recognise the value of the biosphere and bioethical reasoning? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/311 Prof. Juan Garza 29th March 2009 Must agriculture always be seen as being in competition with biodiversity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/310 Luigi Guarino 28th March 2009 Is there a link between diversity in agricultural systems and the health and livelihoods of the human communities they support? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/309 Luigi Guarino 28th March 2009 How can we better integrate ex situ and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources, and their sustainable use? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/308 Luigi Guarino 28th March 2009 How can we ensure the long-term availability of genetic diversity within crop genepools to plant breeders around the world? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/307 Luigi Guarino 28th March 2009 How can we best safeguard and make the most effective and sustainable use of the genetic diversity found in the wild relatives of crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/306 Luigi Guarino 28th March 2009 How can the achievements of plant science ever be delivered in the future to consumers and the public now that scientists are assessed by their funders and peers purely on their ability to deliver high impact factor publications? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/305 Phil Morris 27th March 2009 Which paternally and which maternally inherited genes are expressed and which are silent in diploids? Similarly, in polyploids, which genes are expressed and which are silent from which set of diploid chromosomes? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/304 Phil Morris 27th March 2009 How do we get an understanding of programmed developmental gene regulation from a genome sequence? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/303 Phil Morris 27th March 2009 If the genome sequence is the “programme” for life, what acts as the “operating system”? Alternatively, if the genome sequence is the musical “score”, what acts as the “conductor”? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/302 Phil Morris 27th March 2009 What is the detailed chemical composition of our food & feed crops, how is this affected by genotype and (changing) environment and what effect does this have on human & animal health? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/301 Phil Morris 27th March 2009 Plants sense their environment and alter their growth and development to optimize their reproductive success. How do plant integrate a variety of environmental signals which may, individually, induce conflicting responses? In other words, how do plants make tough decisions? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/300 Anne Britt 27th March 2009 What plant has had the most influence on human history / development? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/299 Anonymous 27th March 2009 How do symbiotic organisms regulate their constituent symbionts so that they (the symbionts) develop, function and reproduce successfully? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/298 David J Hill 26th March 2009 What is the molecular basis that allows the coordination of basal defences within individual plant cells so that defensive barriers accumulate in only a small area of the cell? In other words, how are different reactions regulated within a common cytoplasm? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/297 john mansfield 26th March 2009 How is systemic signalling controlled and what really are the mobile metabolites that activate systemic acquired resistance in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/296 john mansfield 26th March 2009 How can we use our knowledge of the molecular biology of disease resistance to develop novel approaches to disease control without the use of GM crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/295 john mansfield 26th March 2009 How can we move nitrogen fixing systems into non-legume crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/294 john mansfield 26th March 2009 How do we convince the public that genetically modified crops are not harmful and that their use will stabilise food and biofuel production? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/293 john mansfield 26th March 2009 Many domesticated species have massively increased their genome size compared to their wild relatives. Why does this process occur and what is the advantage of it? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/292 Gordon Allison 25th March 2009 How soon will we stop using fossil oil and use plants instead http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/291 Iain Donnison 25th March 2009 Plants are known to have medicinal properties; do particular plant species visited by bees confer any “medicinal properties” to their honey or hive, rendering the bees less likely to succumb to pests and diseases such as Varroa mites or colony collapse disorder? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/290 Mark Smedley 24th March 2009 Is systems biology the new plant physiology? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/289 dimah habash 24th March 2009 Have we reached the genetic ceiling in wheat improvement, considering stressful environments? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/288 dimah habash 24th March 2009 How do different genomes in a plant talk to one another to produce an organelle? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/287 Alison Baker 24th March 2009 Most people in the developed world have become divorced from the production of food. How do we best communicate to the public the importance of both fundamental and applied plant science in human health and wellbeing in both the developed and developing worlds. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/286 Alison Baker 24th March 2009 How useful are model systems given the diversity of plant life? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/285 Harriet McWatters 24th March 2009 How are plants sensing and responding to climate change? How can we use this information to protect crops and ecosystems? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/284 Phil Wigge 23rd March 2009 Which crop systems are best for different growing regions, how are farmers convinced to change, how will such research be funded, and will there be anyone to do it? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/283 Rosemary White 22nd March 2009 How does confining the plant root system reduce plant size when all other factors are non-limiting? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/282 Rosemary White 22nd March 2009 Can we harness the potential of apomixis technology to deliver elite and affordable germplasm worldwide? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/281 David Twell 21st March 2009 How can we attract the best young minds to study and research plant biology in the future? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/280 David Twell 21st March 2009 How can plant research keep pace with global challenges of pollution, health and food insecurity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/279 Walter Suza 20th March 2009 How do the seeds of some species survive for many years in the soil? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/278 Nick Smirnoff 19th March 2009 Has plant physiology research over the last few decades made a significant contribution to improving crop yield? If not, why not? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/277 Nick Smirnoff 19th March 2009 Since there must be limits to increasing harvest index, can we design crop plants in which the leaves are as nutritious as the seeds (or tubers etc) at harvest? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/276 Nick Smirnoff 19th March 2009 Why is symbiotic nitrogen fixation restricted to relatively few plant species? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/275 Nick Smirnoff 19th March 2009 Why are pollinators declining and how much does this matter for plants in natural and managed ecosystems? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/274 Professor Jane Memmott 19th March 2009 What are the risks and benefits of using biological control to control alien plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/273 Professor Jane Memmott 19th March 2009 How do we best control the alien plant species which are invading threatened natural habitats? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/272 Professor Jane Memmott 19th March 2009 Why are most plants polyploid and what is special about those that are not? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/271 Keith Edwards 19th March 2009 How many species of plants are there no specialists to support their identification and description? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/270 Alex Monro 18th March 2009 How many parts of the world remain unexplored for plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/269 Alex Monro 18th March 2009 Can we extract/use the energy that plants harvest from the sun directly to avoid loss during conversion to biomass? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/268 Rea 18th March 2009 What role can researchers play in helping people/society understand that even a 2 degree global average temperature shift in will have major implications for food security (amongst other things!)? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/267 Mark Spencer 18th March 2009 The British Overseas Territories hold considerable quantities of biodiversity (greater that the UK and it’s home territorial waters), how can we ensure that understanding the impacts of climate change and habitat loss can be used to mitigate future losses to biodiversity in these areas http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/266 Mark Spencer 18th March 2009 The UK’s home waters support a massive diversity of organisms, including algae; should not more of the UK’s research/conservation infrastructure be devoted to this poorly understood and overexploited habitat http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/265 Mark Spencer 18th March 2009 As the UK’s terrestrial vascular plant diversity is relatively poor shouldn’t we be emphasising the importance of the conservation of our internationally significant bryophyte communities? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/264 Mark Spencer 18th March 2009 “Where will the next generation of mycologists come from?” http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/263 Mark Spencer 18th March 2009 How do you makes plants more digestable? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/262 James Melichar 18th March 2009 1) What is the sister group of the angiosperms 2) Are the Monocots really Paleaoherbs 3) What is the sister group of the Spermatophyta - give that morphology and molecules disagree? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/261 Christopher Humphries 18th March 2009 How could we create a unique new food crop? Conventionally by crossing two diverse plant species or through GM? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/260 James Melichar 18th March 2009 What features allowed multicellularity in evolution from microalgae to plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/259 Federico Valverde 17th March 2009 Can we get plants to fix their own nitrogen? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/258 Chandrika Nair 17th March 2009 Could GM technology be used to transform C3 crops into C4? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/257 Philip 16th March 2009 Why are the major food providers (cereals, sugar) all monocots or annuals (potatoes, beet) and would it be possible to engineer perennial forms of them? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/256 Sylvia Kelly 14th March 2009 How to increase crop yields without increasing the crop's requirement for inputs such as fertiliser http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/255 pete berry 14th March 2009 Why has the mountain of knowledge gained over decades from solving the structures of human, animal and microbial proteins not been realised in plant science? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/254 Richard Hughes 9th March 2009 Could desertification be combated by introducing drought-tolerant plants to enrich the soil? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/253 Feodora Rayner 7th March 2009 Will plants ever be capable of converting ALA into/producing omega-3 oils EPA and DHA http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/252 Feodora Rayner 7th March 2009 If a plant virus able to wipe out all the grasses developed, could a cure be found? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/251 Feodora Rayner 7th March 2009 How can we show that a trait is adaptive - can we measure gene expression of a plant in it's native environment and monitor changes in response to external variables? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/250 Amy Strange 5th March 2009 Are plants conscious? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/249 Matthew Hall 5th March 2009 How will climate change affect plant phenology (flowering, budburst, leaf-fall, dormancy, chiling, photoperiod thresholds, &c)? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/248 Geoffrey Harper 5th March 2009 How can small scale agriculture contribute to habitat protection in biodiversity rich countries? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/247 Anonymous 5th March 2009 Assuming an efficient way of turning plant waste (cellulose) into biofuels is developed, how much waste can we turn into fuel without soils degrading? Put another way, can biofuels ever be a sustainable resource? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/246 Michael Le Page 5th March 2009 Can we engineer algae or plants that produce much higher yields of oil for biofuels? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/245 Michael Le Page 5th March 2009 Can we develop wheat strains resistant to the Ug99 strain of black stem rust before this fungal disease spreads round the world? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/244 Michael Le Page 5th March 2009 Can we engineer salt-tolerant crops without creating invasive plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/243 Michael Le Page 5th March 2009 Is the rubisco enzyme as good as it can be, or can we engineer a more efficient process for fixing carbon dioxide? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/242 Michael Le Page 5th March 2009 Can we engineer plants that capture more energy from the Sun (photosynthesise more efficiently) than existing plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/241 Michael Le Page 5th March 2009 Are mycorrhizal associations promoted by crop diversity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/240 Anonymous 5th March 2009 Can alternatives to crop monoculture be found without compromising yields? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/239 Anonymous 5th March 2009 How and why does being in the presence of plants benefit us psychologically? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/238 Rebecca Floyd 5th March 2009 How Plants can solve the energy crisis and also stop global warming http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/237 Shyam Kumar M 4th March 2009 Are there any common attributes of plants that have become invasive? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/236 David Hovath 3rd March 2009 How do plants control organ size? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/235 Christian Fankhauser 3rd March 2009 How do plants cope with their huge genome plasticity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/234 Christian Fankhauser 3rd March 2009 Is trans-generational plasticity mediated by epigenetic changes? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/233 Christian Fankhauser 3rd March 2009 How can we deliver the next green revolution? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/232 Christian Fankhauser 3rd March 2009 How can we use our knowledge about photosynthesis and its optimization to better harness the energy of the sun? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/231 Christian Fankhauser 3rd March 2009 Can we develop cold and frost resistant crops for self sufficiency. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/230 Shyam Kumar M 3rd March 2009 Can we develop crops which are more resilient to climate fluctuation without yield Loss? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/229 Anonymous 2nd March 2009 Is it possible to select or engineer plants to give broad spectrum insect resistance? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/228 Anonymous 2nd March 2009 What are the main limitations in fundamental science discoveries being usefully applied in agriculture? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/227 Anonymous 2nd March 2009 What is the theoretical limit of productivity of main UK crops and what are major factors preventing this being realised? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/226 Anonymous 2nd March 2009 How do abiotic factors influence plant embryo development? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/225 Jixiang Kong 1st March 2009 Is it possible and desirable to eliminate all plant diseases? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/223 Arnaud Hulskes 28th February 2009 Can humans develop a more efficient photosystem than plants have? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/222 Arnaud Hulskes 28th February 2009 How does the signaling network during embryogenesis of plant work? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/221 Jixiang Kong 28th February 2009 Why did land plants (or their progenitors) evolve sporic meiosis? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/220 Sean Graham 28th February 2009 What are the closest living and fossil relatives of the flowering plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/219 Sean Graham 28th February 2009 Is a flower a simple or compound axis, or some mixture of the two? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/218 Sean Graham 28th February 2009 The carpel develops into fruit in mature flowers--it is a fundametal organ for plant biologists--but we don't understand how it originated. What structure was the carpel derived from in plant evolution? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/217 Sean Graham 28th February 2009 What determines seed longevity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/216 Michael Black 24th February 2009 What are the mechanisms by which temperature regulates seed germination http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/215 Michael Black 24th February 2009 Can you please identify or develop a wheat variety for bread making, thereby avoiding this country buying all our bread wheat from France? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/214 Angus Irvine 24th February 2009 How do we maintain the long term fertility of our soils http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/213 John Pawsey 23rd February 2009 Given the medium to long term unsustainability of oil-based high input industrial agriculture, should we be developing high yielding perennials to replace existing annuals? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/212 Brian Tomsett 23rd February 2009 How do can we make science more acceptable to the general public? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/211 Andrew McShane 22nd February 2009 How can we use the growing of crops to stop deserts spreading? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/210 Andrew McShane 22nd February 2009 To what extent does the perception of physical stress (such as tension or compression) at the cellular level control organ growth and cell identity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/209 Gwyneth Ingram 22nd February 2009 How do individual plant cells perceive the physical forces exerted on them by their neighbours? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/208 Gwyneth Ingram 22nd February 2009 How can we quantify the closed-loop evolutionary feedbacks of climate changes on plants and vice versa that operate on 20- to 200-year time scales? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/207 Stephen M Welch 21st February 2009 How is the growth of neighboring cells coordinated? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/206 Adrienne Roeder 21st February 2009 How do organ identity genes control cell division, growth, and fate specification to produce organs with the correct size, shape, and specialized cell types? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/205 Adrienne Roeder 21st February 2009 How efficient and cost-effective is the production of bio-ethanol from cellulosic materials, using only currently available technology in terms of net energy gain and economics? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/204 Anonymous 19th February 2009 What are the long-term effects of the organic movement and the chemicals used in this style of farming? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/203 Amy Dunlap 18th February 2009 Why do crop biologists and agriculturalists put so much effort into trying to increase crop productivity, only to see most harvested crops fed to animals, a completely wasteful and non-sustainable strategy. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/202 Kevin Pyke 18th February 2009 What is the true extent of inter-organellar trafficking and communication in plant cells? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/201 Kevin Pyke 18th February 2009 How do precise genetic differences between species result in different plant phenotypes - i.e. why is an oak tree an oak tree and a wheat plant a wheat plant? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/200 Kevin Pyke 18th February 2009 What is the real nature and extent of high speed electrical signalling in plants analogous to neural signalling in animals? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/199 Kevin Pyke 18th February 2009 How can plant science help to preserve the enormous biodiversity of plants and animals on this planet? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/198 Harrie van Erp 18th February 2009 How can we engineer plants to become the chemical factories of the future? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/197 Harrie van Erp 18th February 2009 Is there a cell wall integrity surveillance system in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/196 Aurelien Boisson-Dernier 17th February 2009 How male and female gametophytes recognize each other for successful fertilization ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/195 Aurelien Boisson-Dernier 17th February 2009 How can plants sense atmospheric CO2 levels? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/194 Aurelien Boisson-Dernier 17th February 2009 Can crop production move away from being dependent on oil-based technologies? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/193 Mike Abram 17th February 2009 Can crop plants be bred to overcome dryland salinity, or even reverse it? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/192 Mike Abram 17th February 2009 How can cereal plants be bred to require less nitrogen yet yield more? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/191 Mike Abram 17th February 2009 Can the scientific modification of plant structure and function drive plant productivity above the 450 million year old limits we see in the modern flora. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/190 tim brodribb 17th February 2009 How can CO2 fixing organisms be used to reduce global carbon emmissions on a permanent basis with added benefit to the economy? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/189 Anonymous 17th February 2009 Plant hormone crosstalk in development and disease resistance http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/188 Kenichi Tsuda 17th February 2009 What are the limiting factors in transgenic production of industrial products in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/187 Laura Wayne 16th February 2009 Since plant proteomes are not believed to contain any unique protein folds, why do plant cells contain such a bewildering complexity of molecular chaperones? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/186 Jan Miernyk 16th February 2009 What are the top 10 advances in plant sciences that have contributed towards food security in resource limited countries? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/185 Valerio Hoyos 16th February 2009 What are properly phenotypic assays for drought tolerance in plants? Many papers say their plants are drought tolerant, but are they really? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/184 truyen quach 16th February 2009 What factors control the frequency and distribution of genetic crossovers during meiosis in crops. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/183 Chris Franklin 16th February 2009 Why are the achievements of plant science so poorly delivered to producers, consumers and the public at large? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/182 Chris Green 16th February 2009 What is the key role for science in improving organic production? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/181 Chris Green 16th February 2009 Will it be possible to incorporate N-fixing bacteria into crops other than legumes [such as cereals]? There are obvious advantages but plant breeders tell me it would be difficult. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/180 d s morris 16th February 2009 How do plants talk with each other. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/179 Anonymous 15th February 2009 Is there a need to aware the consumers about the benefits or drawbacks of consuming transgenic products? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/178 Ravi Rajwanshi 15th February 2009 What is the reason behind the limited success of transgenic plants over the past decades? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/177 Ravi Rajwanshi 15th February 2009 Could proper management of land resources and its improvement be a better option than the development of transgenic plants to feed the growing population? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/176 Ravi Rajwanshi 15th February 2009 By what molecular mechanism do plants differentiate between compatible and incompatible grafts? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/175 Costas Prassinos 14th February 2009 How do plants coordinate photosynthesis in the chloroplasts and respiration in the mitochondria for maximal and most efficient energy production? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/174 Judy Brusslan 14th February 2009 Considering two plants obtained for the same agronomic trait, one by genetic engineering and one by traditional plant breeding techniques, is there differences between those two plants that would justify a special care of the GMO ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/173 Nogue 14th February 2009 Can we improve the resistance of brassica crops to slugs, flea beetles, rabbits, pigeons, frost and drought by learning from their wild relatives? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/172 David Brightman 14th February 2009 How will we control weeds in future? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/171 David Brightman 14th February 2009 What is the physiological, genetic, molecular and ecological basis of plant growth under different environmental conditions, and how can we use insights into this question to design better performing plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/170 Detlef Weigel 14th February 2009 Most temperate crops are annuals that therefore intecept only a fraction of available annual radiation, and need to be re-sown. What are the candidate perennial, evergreen plants that could be domesticated as food crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/169 John Turner 13th February 2009 How can we use our knowledge of carbon fixation at the biochemical, physiological and ecological levels to address the rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/168 Jim Tokuhisa 13th February 2009 How can the association of plants with beneficial microbes be improved toward better plant health and enhanced nutrient harvest from the phytosphere? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/167 Sen Subramanian 13th February 2009 How do fungi in the soil affect crop yield and can we influence them? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/166 john gent 13th February 2009 If, 10,000 years ago, Neolithic plant breeders had domesticated another plant that would have today produced a highly desirable crop, what would that be, and is it too late to start now? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/165 John Turner 13th February 2009 How are the amounts and proportions of storage reserves laid down in various plant parts regulated? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/164 Michael Black 13th February 2009 What are the characteristics of crops that would provide a sustainable supply of food for the future? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/163 John Turner 13th February 2009 Is durable resistance in crop plants a modified form of specific resistance or derived from non-host resistance? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/162 Beat Keller 13th February 2009 How can we develop universal methods to control flowering time for all annual and perennial plant species? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/161 Colin Turnbull 13th February 2009 Can developmental noise (stochasticity) be an important adaptive trait in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/160 Brian Forde 13th February 2009 Just how 'intelligent' are plants really? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/159 Brian Forde 13th February 2009 How do we solve the problem of the (non-)sustainability of fertilizer use? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/158 Brian Forde 13th February 2009 What should our top 10 priorities be if we (plant biologists) are to improve the prospects for food security in 2050? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/157 Brian Forde 13th February 2009 Can we resolve the controversy between the organismal and cell theories of organ growth by incorporating biomechanics as the missing link between form and genetic regulation in systems biology? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/156 Hoe Goh 13th February 2009 What is the healthiest ratio of state v private funded science http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/155 Simon Orford 13th February 2009 Why are there millions of short RNAs in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/154 Tamas Dalmay 13th February 2009 Beyond any cunning of reasoning, will we ever understand the molecular basis of heterosis? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/153 Naeem Syed 13th February 2009 How can biodiversity and bioprospecting be exploited to generate high-value products from plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/152 Nick Brewin 12th February 2009 What unique genetic trait(s) allowed legumes to establish an evolutionary symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/151 Nick Brewin 12th February 2009 Will we ever be able to extend symbiotic nitrogen fixation to plant species that cannot enter into nitrogen-fixing symbioses? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/150 Allan Downie 12th February 2009 How can we combine traditional plant breeding techniques, Biotechnology and GMOs to prepare the worlds’ crop plants for oncoming climate change? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/149 Chris Richford 11th February 2009 How can we combine traditional plant breeding techniques, Biotechnology and GMOs to prepare the worlds’ crop plants for oncoming climate change? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/148 Chris Richford 11th February 2009 Are agrofuels ethical? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/147 Henrik buschmann 11th February 2009 What strategies can be used to produce molecular hydrogen through photosynthesis and algae on an industrial level? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/146 Henrik buschmann 11th February 2009 What percentage of the world's current energy needs could current crops and agricultural land harness from sunlight and what is the scope for improvements in crop traits and land use? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/145 Stephen Bornemann 11th February 2009 Who will fund academic plant science in the next decade(s)? Will academic plant science become a slave of big lifescience companies? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/144 Nikolai Adamski 11th February 2009 How can we ensure that folk knowledge of medicinal properties of plants is recorded and accessible for consultation and research, whether it has been tested or not? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/143 Julie Burgess 11th February 2009 How do plants remember biotic and abiotic stresses? Can we modify a plants memory to enhance stress tolerance? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/142 Nikolai Adamski 11th February 2009 How do we maintain agriculture in the long term? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/141 Ertao Wang 11th February 2009 How does the preprophase band of microtubules deposit information regarding the plane of cell division? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/140 henrik buschmann 11th February 2009 How do plants live with other organisms? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/139 Ertao Wang 11th February 2009 How does auxin control the mechanics of cell elongation? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/138 henrik buschmann 11th February 2009 How do plants get their diversity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/137 Ertao Wang 11th February 2009 How do plant cells perceive and integrate information regulating the polarity of cell division in tissues and organs? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/136 buschmann 11th February 2009 How do we make wheat crops perennial? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/134 Christiaan Greeff 11th February 2009 How do we induce root nodules on wheat crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/133 Christiaan Greeff 11th February 2009 Why are there so few structures of plant proteins? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/132 Richard Hughes 11th February 2009 What is the most important difference between plants and animals? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/131 Anonymous 11th February 2009 How do plant cell walls regulate cell size and organ growth? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/130 Paul Derbyshire 11th February 2009 Are the agronomic and genetic developments leading to better yields and performance traits associated with improved quality to the animal nutrition / feed end user? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/129 Prof Julian Wiseman 11th February 2009 Which genes and which natural gene variants are causal for complex agronomic traits in crop plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/126 Gebhardt 5th February 2009 To what extent is plant distribution influenced by human activity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/125 Jeremy Ison 1st February 2009 How do we produce enough food, feed, fibre and fuel sustainably at a time of climate change? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/124 Iain Donnison 25th January 2009 How can plants be best modified for the production of non-food valuable products? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/123 Dave Evans 22nd January 2009 Based on evolutionary trends can we predict whether plants will further evolve (grow in size exponentially, develop faster photosynthesis rates)to better utilize the abundant and ever rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, as they did since they first appeared on Earth? Will they be able to contribute to stabilizing the environment once again? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/122 Anonymous 21st January 2009 How did evolution change the size and shape of plants and their organs? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/121 Michael Lenhard 19th January 2009 What is the origin of the plant varieties grown by organic farmers? Have their genomes been modified by human activity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/120 Anne Osbourn 18th January 2009 How do new metabolic pathways evolve? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/119 Anne |Osbourn 18th January 2009 Can we find a way of controlling take-all disease of wheat? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/118 Anne |Osbourn 18th January 2009 How do plants make food? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/117 Anne |Osbourn 18th January 2009 Will every farmer in the world be able to get a crop genotype specifically produced to get the best from his/her field? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/116 Adam Price 16th January 2009 What defines whether a pathogen is systemic (infecting the whole host plant) or local? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/115 Sebastian Schornack 15th January 2009 How is the type III secretion signal encoded? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/114 Sebastian Schornack 15th January 2009 Which strategies are employed by pathogens to prevent recognition by in host plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/113 Sebastian Schornack 15th January 2009 How do we feed our children's children? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/112 Philip J. White 13th January 2009 How do we prevent the hidden hunger of mineral malnutrition? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/111 Philip J. White 13th January 2009 How can we accurately quantify the regional yield potential of staple crops and also partition failure to achieve this potential among key biotic and abiotic constraints? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/110 Ian Crute 11th January 2009 How can global yields of stable food crops be substantially increased at the same time as non-renewable inputs and greenhouse gas emissions are substantially reduced? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/109 Ian Crute 11th January 2009 Does genome size have any real importance? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/108 Anonymous 8th January 2009 Are crops easy targets for bioterrorism? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/107 Anonymous 8th January 2009 The limitations of human senses, especially sight and smell, affect the way we perceive plants - what are we missing about the ways other organisms perceive them? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/106 Helen Ougham 8th January 2009 What are the best ways to convince school and university students that plant science is exciting? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/105 Helen Ougham 8th January 2009 If one could bioengineer a virus to kill all opium poppies / specific pathogen, would that be ethical / safe ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/104 Sean May 8th January 2009 Should homeopathic plant remedies be regulated as medicines ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/103 Sean May 8th January 2009 Which plants have the larger carbon footprint ? Traditional or GM crops ? Grown under organic or intensive farming practices ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/102 Sean May 8th January 2009 Is organic farming actually safe ? Or sustainable above a certain level ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/101 Sean May 8th January 2009 Should we bioengineer food crops to be climate hardy to reduce carbon air miles by growing them locally? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/100 Sean May 8th January 2009 Is bio-ethanol from plants actually a sustainable agricultural practice ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/99 Sean May 8th January 2009 How can we retain biodiversity in crop resources ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/98 Sean May 8th January 2009 Can we retard global warming by seeding the Southern oceans with iron / aquatic plants (The Geritol solution) ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/97 Sean May 8th January 2009 Why are plants of one species recognisable despite all of the environmental influences acting on them? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/96 Sean May 8th January 2009 Can plant sciences and GM technology reverse decades of environmental abuse by the farming community ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/95 Sean May 8th January 2009 The role of epigenetic processes in generating natural variation. http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/94 Graham Seymour 7th January 2009 Is it true that plants only perceive microbes in leaves for defense, whereas in roots they can also perceive microbes for sustenance? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/93 Anonymous 6th January 2009 Is it possible to make direct, real-time, subsoil observations of root system parameters throughout its development? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/92 Donal O'Sullivan 6th January 2009 Can a crop plant be engineered to be durably resistant to several of its major pathogens without incurring an unacceptable metabolic cost? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/91 Donal O'Sullivan 6th January 2009 Xylan is one of the most abundant polymers on earth - how is it made ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/90 Rowan Mitchell 5th January 2009 Can cell walls, which constitute the great majority of biomass, be manipulated to enhance value for nutrition or bioenergy without negative consequences ? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/89 Rowan Mitchell 5th January 2009 Which crops must be grown, and which sacrificed, in order to feed the billions? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/88 Mike Grimmer 5th January 2009 Which plants have the greatest potential for use as biofuels with the least adverse effects on ecological biodiversity, carbon footprints and current food markets? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/87 Carol Jenner 5th January 2009 How to achieve recombination at locations of choice http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/86 Jan Gielen 3rd January 2009 What is the function of every single gene in the plant's genome? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/85 Kostya Kanyuka 2nd January 2009 How will we minimise photorespiration in C3 crops? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/84 Martin Parry 29th December 2008 When was innate defense invented in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/83 Eric Holub 24th December 2008 How can we translate molecular systems biology into food security? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/82 Anonymous 24th December 2008 Why is plant science the bedrock for boosting public understanding of human health and living with environmental change http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/81 Eric Holub 24th December 2008 Why do trees live so long? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/80 Anonymous 23rd December 2008 Can the knowledge gained in molecular biology and genetics be of any meaning for resource use efficiency without producing a similar advance in crop physiological knowledge? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/79 Gustavo A. Slafer 23rd December 2008 How and why do plants die, and how can we control the process(es)? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/78 Helen Ougham 23rd December 2008 What distinguishes the differences between development of a tree and that of a herbaceous plant species at the genetic level? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/77 Alan Marchant 22nd December 2008 Can we feed the world, produce renewable energy crops and sustain a biodiverse landscape without GM technology? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/76 guy poppy 22nd December 2008 How do plants cope with multiple stresses i.e. biotica and abiotic challenges often come together http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/75 guy poppy 22nd December 2008 How can we translate our incresasing knowledge of plants into "clever farming" practices? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/74 Guy Poppy 22nd December 2008 Can we increase crop productivity without harming biodiversity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/73 Guy Poppy 22nd December 2008 To what extent are the stress responses of crop plants appropriate for their pampered lifestyle? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/72 Andy Phillips 22nd December 2008 What is the molecular and cellular basis of plants’ longevity? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/71 Hanma Zhang 22nd December 2008 What makes some cells totipotent http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/70 Rupert Fray 22nd December 2008 What limits plant cell size? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/69 Mike Blatt 22nd December 2008 How should societal awareness be drawn to the intrinsic value of education and research in the plant sciences? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/68 Mike Blatt 22nd December 2008 How do plant cells maintain totipotency? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/67 Isabelle Carré 22nd December 2008 How did multicellular plants evolve? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/66 Juliet Coates 22nd December 2008 How do plants integrate different types of information to make a decision? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/65 Marc Knight 20th December 2008 How are plants able to measure temperature? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/64 Marc Knight 20th December 2008 What controls/regulates the total mitochondrial number/mass in a plant cell during cellular differentiation and development? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/63 chris leaver 20th December 2008 What is the molecular and biochemical basis of heterosis? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/62 chris leaver 20th December 2008 How does sodium get into plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/61 Tim Flowers 20th December 2008 How do plants integrate multiple environmental signals? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/60 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 How is plant cell fate determined? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/59 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 How do some plants resist pathogen infection? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/58 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 Can we produce higher value crops by improving downstream processing characteristics? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/57 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 Can we improve the nutritional value of staple crops in a way acceptable to the public? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/56 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 What is the best way to improve crop yields? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/55 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 Can we produce plants better adapted for climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 levels? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/54 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 How can we use our knowledge of plants to design efficient solar energy converters? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/53 Julie Gray 19th December 2008 How do different cell types in a plant determine what type of plastid to develop, and how much of it? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/52 Enrique Lopez-Juez 19th December 2008 Can the very low proportion of the light energy that plants convert into growth and biomass be improved upon? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/51 Enrique Lopez-Juez 19th December 2008 How is growth and division of individual cells co-ordinated to form macroscopic structures with genetically programmed shapes and sizes? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/50 Robert Sablowski 19th December 2008 How do plant cell walls, (ie our largest source of food and fuel) self-assemble? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/49 Maura Cannon 19th December 2008 Which plant genomes should the UK plant science community aim to sequence in the next 5 years? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/48 John Bothwell 19th December 2008 How did flowers evolve? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/47 Anonymous 19th December 2008 Can we use knowledge of human aesthetics to design living spaces (buildings and open spaces) that incorporate plants that people find beautiful? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/45 Andrew Millar 18th December 2008 Why are plants beautiful? OR more formally, Can we understand how aspects of plants and plant communities (morphology, colour, fragrance, sound, taste etc.) Appeal to the human aesthetic? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/44 Andrew Millar 18th December 2008 Can we implant new biological modules into plants as synthetic symbionts, for example to use the light captured by a forest canopy? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/43 Andrew Millar 18th December 2008 Can we understand, quantitatively, what the cells in a particular leaf on a particular tree will do in the next hour? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/42 Andrew Millar 18th December 2008 Can we understand (explain and predict) the succession of plant species in any habitat, and crop varieties in any location, under climate change? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/41 Andrew Millar 18th December 2008 How many plant species are currently undiscovered? [To be answered historically] http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/40 Andrew Millar 18th December 2008 How do plant cells know where they are in the organism and develop accordingly? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/39 Claire Grierson 18th December 2008 Why do resistance genes from one species (eg Cf-9 or Pto from tomato, or Bs2 from pepper) not work to recognize their cognate avirulence product in another species, such as Arabidopsis? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/38 Jonathan Jones 18th December 2008 Can we use "non-host resistance" (for example why wheat resists barley strains of powdery mildew) to engineer more durable resistance in crop plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/37 Jonathan Jones 18th December 2008 Agriculture on marginal land: how can we improve nutrient usage efficiency and resistance to salt and water stress in plants? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/36 Anna Amtmann 18th December 2008 How do plants avoid 'Heathrow Terminal 5': Which processes control the transport of nutrients and metabolites between different compartments, cells and tissues? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/35 Anna Amtmann 18th December 2008 Nutrition and disease: How do plants integrate information on nutritional and biotic stresses occurring together in the field? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/34 Anna Amtmann 18th December 2008 'Plant learning': What is the molecular basis of priming and acclimation? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/33 Anna Amtmann 18th December 2008 'Plant memory': How do plants store information on past environmental events? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/32 Anna Amtmann 18th December 2008 As we begin to decipher the interactome, how do we address the questions of stoichiometry, affinity and functions of individual complexes? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/31 Brendan Davies 18th December 2008 What are the best ways to modify plants to thrive in a changing environment? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/30 Brendan Davies 18th December 2008 Can we improve crop productivity without increasing the use of fertilizers and water? http://www.100plantsciencequestions.org.uk/100 Plant Science Questions/26 Ruth Bastow 12th December 2008