News Agriculture

Plants engineered to always be on alert don’t grow well

Scientists bred a weed to lack proteins that help stem production of insect-repelling chemicals

thale cress

FIGHT OR SLIGHT  In lab tests, a plant called thale cress (shown) that was engineered to be nearly always on alert for leaf-eating predators tended to be smaller and produced fewer viable seeds than its normal kin.

Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft./Bugwood.org (CC BY-NC 3.0 US)

By Jennifer Leman

- More than 2 years ago

A tiny weed that slithers up through sidewalk cracks is helping scientists understand the sacrifices that plants make to protect themselves from pests.