Re: great editorial on plant research...or lack of

I just came across this article in Science that points out how so little of our public research dollars go towards basic plant (agricultural) research. They claim that 2% of federal spending on research R&D goes to agricultural research. I am reminded of the general public bias out there which I noticed beginning as a graduate student when I decided to work on plants rather than animals or fungi or microbes. I've also been told by several faculty that their postdocs do quite well in a plant-specific search, but usually lose out to equivalent job candidates who study animals. Once I gave a talk and one of the faculty members afterwards mentioned that hearing my talk was the first time he actually found anything having to do with plants interesting. I was obviously flattered, but also appalled that so many people are so uninterested in plants.

Hey! Where does your food come from?? Ultimately, the answer is almost always plants. Who gobbles up CO2 and spits out oxygen for us to breathe?? Uh, plants. Does anyone wear cotton or linen anymore? They also come from plants. And your house is also likely made with wood (plants). Yep, plants make it possible for us to survive and thrive.

I know we are pretty animal focused (being animals ourselves), but I hope we can develop a better appreciation and understanding of plants. I know everyone wants a cure for cancer, but I would argue that funding basic research in plant biology is also crucial for our survival and health.

A new focus on Plant Science by McCormick & Tijian
Science 19 November 2010: Vol. 330 no. 6007 p. 1021
DOI: 10.1126/science.1198153
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6007/1021.full.pdf