LEXINGTON, KY - It’s common knowledge that plants grow up from the ground, supported by a root system, but until now scientists were unable to understand how that process starts during fertilization at a cellular level. An international team of scientists that includes a University of Kentucky researcher has visualized how the fertilized egg cell divides unequally after fertilization.
From this unequal cell division, one cell works toward developing the top part of the plant including stem, leaves and flowers while the other works on root structure.
See the live-cell image here.
RELATED: UNH research: Microbial traits determine abundance of soil organic matter
Latest from Greenhouse Management
- Voting now open for the National Garden Bureau's 2026 Green Thumb Award Winners
- WUR extends Gerben Messelink’s professorship in biological pest control in partnership with Biobest and Interpolis
- Lights, CO2, GROW!
- Leading the next generation
- The Growth Industry Episode 8: From NFL guard to expert gardener with Chuck Hutchison
- The biggest greenhouse headlines of 2025
- Theresa Specht
- 10 building blocks of plant health