Wiki World: growth

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KAI2 Improves Growth as Well as Germination After Fire

KAI2 improves plant growth after a fire germination

Why do plant seeds in Australia start germinating after a fire? It is because of Karrikin Insensitive2 (KAI2) a protein which has been present in plants for millions of years. KAI2 has been important for all plants for 400 million years.

When the KAI2 protein was removed from a higher, more recent plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, its leaves malformed. Yet splicing the KAI2 back by taking it from the ancient Selaginella resulted in improved A. thaliana growth, but it could no longer detect the presence of smoke the normal function of KAI2.

This finding shows the more general function of KAI2. It not only identifies karrikins in smoke, it is important for plant growth. "Sensing" is the main purpose of KAI2. Apparently it can be tuned to detect different things. This could help farmers control seed germination times.

Wheat is notorious for germinating in the grain during heavy rain periods. Being able to spray a chemical that stops this would save millions of dollars and improve crop yields. Furthermore, spraying to stop weeds from sprouting would be the supreme herbicide.

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New Food Varieties From Plant Enbryo Culture

Natural pollination was used for years in plant research. it was thought to be the only way that a "pure" line could be preserved. Plants vary in characteristics depending on altitude and longitude. Crossing plants from different geographical region was the method put forward by Nobel Prize Laureate Dr Norman Borlaug who led the way in the Green Revolution.

This method only produced three generations of new varieties each year. A different system was needed. Embryo culture is the result. This is used in combination with changes in water, temperature, humidity, light and potting mix and is much more productive. Plant embryos are like stem cells. The neutral "baby" plants are nurtured and placed onto a media culture that determines what type of plant they will become.;

Pure-line plant genotypes are obtained in a shorter period. This is a major change in the creation of new crops that will feed the world's growing population. It will obviously take several decades to achieve the higher growth rates of the new food crops. However, scientists are optimistic.

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Conservation by Ty Buchanan

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Developing Australia's North is Just Pie in the Sky

The "opening-up" of northern Australia is pie in the sky by both leading political parties. Unless billions of dollars are put into the north development will not take place. The Ord River Irrigation Scheme is an example. However, the scheme is not a real success. Salinity is rising and destroying productive land.

Are the political parties planning to build dams? No, not in new northern regions! Neither is putting forward substantial money for investment. Kevin Rudd's promise to extend the Ord River Dam will only drag up more salt. Just telling people to move north is a silly idea. Like the draw to Western Australia there must be financial incentives. The mining boom there means better paid jobs.

Those suggesting development of northern Australia don't even study the climatic and geographic realities. Tropical soil is very thin. It barely covers the surface. To grow any plant in large quantities thick fertile soil is needed. Tropical soil may be fertile but there isn't enough of it.

Making the Northern Territory a special economic zone with reduced taxes will not bring agriculture to the region. And there is no skilled workforce for factory work. Most countries are now finding special economic zones do not benefit them. The zones don't put money into a nation's financial "kitty". Indeed, they are a drain on national revenue. Companies move there just to dodge paying tax - no extra jobs.

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No-Car Future Is the Only Sustainable Option

The National Sustainability Council presented its long awaited report called the Sustainable Australia 2013: Conversations with the Future. This is the first of a series of biennial papers to advise the government about the state of the economy vis-a-vis the environment.

Full of optimism, the newly founded council said the future looked bright if we changed to building sustainable communities. However, the type of community needed is far more radical than envisaged by the council. Despite Australia having many of the most livable cities in the world we need to start planning immediately for the kind of balanced society of the future.

Oil will not be around forever and coal is too polluting to be used at such high rates. This means individuals driving around in five seater cars will not be possible. Electricity use is skyrocketing with Internet cloud servers and hungry mobiles gobbling up tonnes of coal and oil in power stations. Future cities will have to be designed with houses laid out in a manner that allows public transport to easily be used to get to work. Little is said about this now, but it will be in the future.

Somehow workers will have to be able to get from side roads to main roads where buses or vehicles on rails can travel. This will involve many more stops than at present and it will take longer to get to places of employment. We could see the return of bicycles or low-powered slow speed electric vehicles.

A place without car ownership will be an odd place to people of the current era. Nonetheless, it will have to happen eventually. Modern cities are car dependent. If an economic crisis stops the flow of oil these cities will die.