Soybean rust effective in dealing with the fungus. Rust-resistant varieties of soybeans are currently in development by both public universities and private industry. In some regions, the selection of winter cover crops and forage legumes may be effected, since they can serve as host plants. Resistant soybean varieties are not yet available. However, resistance genes have been identified and host resistance is expected to be an effective, long-term solution for soybean rust. Until resistant commercial varieties are in place, the management of rust depends on judicious use of fungicides. When untreated, soybean rust, causes yield losses due to premature defoliation, fewer seeds
Human uses of plants or dried flowers. Ornamental plants have sometimes changed the course of history, as in tulipomania. Basic biological research has often been done with plants. In genetics, the breeding of pea plants allowed Gregor Mendel to derive the basic laws governing inheritance, and examination of chromosomes in maize allowed Barbara McClintock to demonstrate their connection to inherited traits. The plant "Arabidopsis thaliana" is used in laboratories as a model organism to understand how genes control the growth and development of plant structures. NASA predicts that space stations or space colonies will one day rely on plants for life support. Scientific advances