sustainability
Sustainability in plant science refers to practices and systems that allow plant production and ecosystems to continue meeting human and environmental needs over long periods. This is particularly important in plant biology because plants are foundational to food security, carbon cycling, and biodiversity—systems that must remain functional amid climate change and resource constraints. Research in plant sustainability addresses how to develop productive agricultural and natural systems that do not degrade the environmental foundations they depend on.
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Alfalfa plus plant-based nanoparticles team up to eat plastic
The alfalfa cover crop in a garden bed or farm field could someday double as a plastic-degrading ...
Philosophical foundations of plant awareness for sustainability.
Every weed you've ever pulled without a second thought, every shrub you've walked past a hundred ...
Your compost pile may hold the key to recycling old cotton clothes
The compost bin in your backyard isn't just breaking down kitchen scraps, it's hosting fungi and ...
Letting plastic-free mulch rot in the field beats landfilling it
If you use biodegradable mulch or landscape fabric in your garden beds, leaving it in place to br...
Cotton clothes vanish in soil fast, polyester barely budges
The cotton scraps and old t-shirts you toss in the compost pile will actually disappear into the ...
Not all compostable plastics break down at the same speed
That 'compostable' plastic bag or fork you toss in your backyard bin might sit there far longer t...
Pine-like tree cones turn into powerful water-cleaning charcoal
The fallen cones littering the ground under casuarina windbreak trees aren't just yard waste to r...
Seaweed farms plus AI clean water and boost health products
The kelp and nori showing up in more grocery stores and garden ponds aren't just food trends, the...
Pond scum could soon fuel cars and wrap your groceries
The algae growing in a backyard pond or a home aquaculture setup isn't just pond scum, it's a raw...
Plant scraps and microbes can filter toxic metals from water
The fallen leaves, corn husks, and other plant residues you might toss in the compost bin can be ...
Plant-fiber food wrap's water resistance depends on manufacturing, ...
The paper wrapping your bakery bread or the compostable film around your farmers market cheese mi...
Green sponges made from natural materials trap forever chemicals
The runoff pooling near roadsides, golf courses, and old industrial lots often carries PFAS that ...
Plant extracts turn sunlight into a dye-eating water cleanup tool
The compost pile or citrus peels you toss out could one day help build the very materials scienti...
Bacteria-powered devices clean dye pollution and cut plant toxicity
The runoff from textile dyeing can poison soil and stunt seedlings, and this research shows a low...
Benign by design: A paradigm shift in cosmetic ingredient development.
Persistent chemicals from everyday cosmetics — including PFAS and silicones — are accumulating in...
New solvent math predicts which biodegradable plastics break down fastest
The compostable plant pots and biodegradable mulch films showing up at garden centers depend on e...
Biodegradable braces ties don't exist yet, study finds
This is a dental materials study with no connection to plant science, gardening, or botany.
