The method developed at the Institute relies on a new use for a certain type of corn that has been biotechnologically developed in the United States. This corn has a gene which confers resistance to a particular type of herbicide and is therefore unharmed when sprayed. Rather than spraying entire fields, the scientists suggested taking seeds that are resistant to this herbicide and soaking them in it before planting. The herbicide then spreads through the germinating crop's roots and the surrounding soil, killing the parasites before or after they attach to the crop. By the time the crops ripen, the herbicide has disappeared and does not affect the food supply.
Plants sing as they work The sun is the primary source in the Earth's food and energy chain.
Sunlight energy is trapped by the tiny organelles in green plants and used in photosynthesis to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars and other organic energy-rich materials which we use for food and fuel. Photosynthesis produces the oxygen in the air, without which there is no life on this planet. Weizmann Institute scientists contributed to the study of the various aspects of the complex process of photosynthesis. In some of these studies, they developed a unique method to measure photosynthesis, based on the detection of sound arising from within the plant leaf when light is rapidly shone on it. Part of the light energy shone on the leaf is converted to heat and is also expelled at periodic intervals, according to the tempo of the flashing light.