Botanicky

Vibrant Fall Colors Leaf senescence is a natural developmental stage in a plant’s life cycle. It is the process we observe during Fall when leaves change color from green to yellow, orange, and red. Those beautiful fall colors are actually the visible signs of chlorophyll breakdown and nutrient recycling within aging leaves. Under normal conditions, senescence is a highly regulated process. As leaves age, plants break down cellular components and relocate valuable nutrients to developing tissues such as young leaves, fruits, or seeds. This recycling system helps the plant use its resources efficiently. However, problems arise when senescence happens too early. Premature leaf aging reduces photosynthesis, meaning the plant produces less energy. When this happens under stress conditions, it can significantly reduce growth, biomass, and ultimately crop yield. One major trigger of early senescence is abiotic stress particularly, the salt stress. High salinity disrupts cellular balance, inc...

Today we celebrated GTA/UTA Appreciation Day on campus. A day dedicated to recognizing the graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants who support students throughout the semester. Boards were placed around campus where students could leave anonymous notes for their favorite TAs. Watching students stop, think, smile, and write something heartfelt was already special. But receiving two notes myself was something I truly didn’t expect. I brought them with me, and right now they are pasted them in front of my working desk, so that I can see it all the time.  They were small. Just a few lines but, incredibly meaningful. As a teaching assistant, you rarely know the full impact you’re having. You prepare, explain concepts, help them with lab activities expecting them to do great in their exams. Seeing those words written by students reminded me that the effort is noticed. Beyond the notes, there were delicious donuts and lots of fun. It was a warm and joyful atmosphere. Our instructor...

It was such an exciting day in lab today! Our teaching lab topic was Angiosperms , which meant one of my favorite activities; flower dissection and fruit identification. 🌸 I’ve taught this lab several times before, and I truly enjoy it every single time. We started by introducing the different components of flowers and reviewing fruit types. Then came the fun part. The students got to dissect the flowers themselves and closely examine sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. There is something special about watching them connect textbook diagrams to real structures in their hands. This time, I tried something new. I sent out a quick sheet asking students to write down their favorite songs, and I played their picks while they worked on their dissections. It turned out to be such a wonderful idea! The atmosphere was relaxed, everyone was more engaged, and the lab felt both focused and joyful. The next part of the lab involved examining different fruits. Many students were shocked (and slig...

Organic fertilizers became a hot topic in Sri Lanka after the government imposed a ban on the importation of chemical fertilizers into the country. With this sudden change, farmers were forced to find alternative ways to produce organic fertilizers for their cultivation. That is when water hyacinth captured the attention of many people in Sri Lanka. Until then, it was known mainly as an aquatic invasive plant. However, once people realized the value of water hyacinth in producing organic fertilizers, the perspective began to change. Today, many people wade into water tanks and lakes to uproot water hyacinth for fertilizer production. What exactly is water hyacinth? Water hyacinth, or Eichhornia crassipes , belongs to the family Pontederiaceae. It is a free-floating perennial aquatic plant with broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves. It reproduces mainly through runners (stolons) and can also produce thousands of seeds each year. This plant is native to tropical and subtropical South Am...