Feeding fat to fungi: evidence for lipid transfer in arbuscular mycorrhiza

Researchers from the labs of Dr. Maria Harrison at the Boyce Thompson Institute and Dr. Peter Dörmann at the University of Bonn have produced the first experimental evidence to suggest that AM fungi also get lipids from the plant. AM-induced FatM and RAM2 may play specific roles in the biosynthesis of 16:0 βMAG, which cannot be produced by the fungus, providing a clue to understanding the obligate nature of AM fungi.

Protecting our diversity: A statement from David Stern

Protecting our diversity: A statement from David Stern

“BTI is an international institution. The global reach of science, and its ability to traverse and dissolve cultural and national boundaries in the pursuit of knowledge and its applications, count among our core strengths. BTI scientists and staff hail from more...
Global partnerships for improving cassava

Global partnerships for improving cassava

Cassava geneticist Ismail Yusuf Rabbi from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria visited BTI and Cornell University last week to discuss his ongoing collaboration with NextGen Cassava.

Cilia receives Presidential Early Career Award

Cilia receives Presidential Early Career Award

Michelle Cilia has been selected to receive a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), which recognizes outstanding, government-funded scientists who show great potential for becoming leaders in their field and for expanding the frontiers of scientific knowledge.

Lindsay awarded USDA/NIFA pre-doctoral fellowship

Lindsay awarded USDA/NIFA pre-doctoral fellowship

Penelope Lindsay, a Cornell University graduate student in Plant Biology in the lab of BTI Professor Maria Harrison, has been awarded a 2-year fellowship from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Q&A with board member Susan Brown

BTI board member and Director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell University, Susan Brown, shares her wisdom on all things related to apples.

Citrus-growing regions face different pressures

Citrus growers are uniting to save their groves from citrus greening disease and to fund research into solutions, but growers in California face different challenges than those in Florida, report BTI and USDA researchers.

New Ventures: Jacqueline Heard Joins BTI Boards

Drawing on her background in plant pathology and biotechnology, Heard advises agricultural startups, with the goal of launching companies that will bring new innovations to agriculture.

BTI Says Goodbye to Klaus Apel

BTI Says Goodbye to Klaus Apel

Professor Klaus Apel can pinpoint the exact time he chose to be a plant scientist. As a young person, Apel was seriously interested in birding and so he entered the University of Hamburg to study biology, with a special emphasis on zoology. But in a year-long,...
Remembering Ralph Hardy

Remembering Ralph Hardy

The former President and CEO of the Boyce Thompson Institute and pioneer of nitrogen fixation research passed away August 2 at the age of 82.