New research from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, has revealed that puff adders (Bitis arietans) can be highly efficient at controlling rodent populations that threaten agricultural production on the continent. 

Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide at Guizhou University have discovered how the Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus (CGMMV) exploits the host protein cytosolic Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) to form biomolecular condensates (BMCs) through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), thereby facilitating viral replication. The study further indicates that a novel compound, C1, can effectively disrupt this interaction, leading to significant inhibition of CGMMV infection. The relevant research findings have been published in Science Bulletin.

Led by corresponding authors Prof. Runjiang Song and Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering Baoan Song, the team identified NbFBPase as a key interacting protein of CGMMV’s capsid protein (CP). Mutations in CP residues Tyr18 impaired BMCs formation and reduced viral pathogenicity. Compound C1, a benzo[d]oxazole derivative, specifically targets Tyr18, outperforming existing antiviral agents. Moreover, the researchers found that Tyr18 of CGMMV-CP plays a critical role in regulating photosynthesis-related processes during infection by modulating the expression of genes involved in the Calvin cycle.

This work not only elucidates a key virus-host interaction but also provides a blueprint for designing targeted antiviral drugs.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When you test more than 200,000 soil samples in a year, you not only learn something about how Arkansans grow crops, gardens and lawns, but also the value of recommendations that result from soil test results. Each year, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publishes the Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies. The latest edition, released in spring, features 12 research reports prepared by scientists with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

Fertilizer might be stronger than we thought. A new international study featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York found that fertilizer can help plants survive short-term periods of extreme drought, findings which could have implications for agriculture and food systems in a world facing climate stressors.