 |
Search News
News Categories
Browse Products
| |
Gardeners' dream realised with dream lawn gene 
Mowdirect news > Lawn and Garden Tractors
Friday, January 05 2007 11:23:43 by Editor
Hose-pipe bans and long dry spells usually cause British lawns to become yellow, dry and coarse over the summer months, but now scientists believe they have discovered a way to keep lawns looking lush.
A vital DNA mutation from a grass species called festuca, which by disabling the protein which normally helps to destroy the green-colour making chlorophyll, stops the grass from going yellow.
Chlorophyll cells absorb sunlight and use the sun's energy to synthesise carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. The cells also produce a green pigment, which gives grass and other plants their colour.
Dr Ian Armstead and colleagues from the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research in Aberystwyth, north Wales believe that this 'staygreen' gene could provide gardeners with healthy, green grass all year round.
In their report, published in the latest issue of the New Phytologist journal, Dr Armstead writes: "Identifying the gene and developing molecular markers makes the breeding of these grasses more efficient."
 © Adfero Ltd
 Printer Friendly  Send to a Friend
| |
|
| | Special Offer
Story Archive
Please select the month you want to see:
· August, 2008
· July, 2008
· June, 2008
· May, 2008
· April, 2008
· March, 2008
· February, 2008
· January, 2008
· December, 2007
· November, 2007
· October, 2007
· September, 2007
· August, 2007
· July, 2007
· June, 2007
· May, 2007
· April, 2007
· March, 2007
· February, 2007
· January, 2007
[ Show ALL Stories ]
|
Special Offers
|
|
RSS news feed
