The trick is detailed in the journal Science, and at its heart lies a class of hormones called strigolactones. Most of the time, plant hormones do not radiate externally — they aren’t exuded. But these do, says University of California Riverside plant biologist and paper co-author David Nelson. Plants use strigolactones to attract fungi in the soil that have a beneficial relationship with plant roots. Unfortunately for farmers, parasitic weeds have learned to hijack the strigolactone signals. “These weeds are waiting for a signal to wake up,” Nelson says. “We can give them that signal at the wrong time — when there’s no food for them — so they sprout and die. It’s like flipping their own switch against them, essentially encouraging them to commit suicide.” This breakthrough allows researchers to study strigolactone synthesis in a controlled environment and potentially produce large amounts of these valuable chemicals.
Welcome
