"Revealing the Hidden Growth Secret of an Obscure Aquatic Plant"
Researchers at the John Innes Centre have discovered how plants prevent cracking during growth by studying an obscure aquatic plant, Utricularia gibba. They found that a dwarf mutant of the plant lacked a growth hormone called brassinosteroid, which normally allows the skin to stretch and prevent cracking. Computational modeling showed that the hormone loosens fibers in the epidermal cell walls, allowing the cells to coordinate growth. The findings have implications for understanding dwarfing varieties of crops and developmental processes in animals, and may help improve agricultural efficiency in the future.