Recent Posts

How do plants export brassinosteroids?

If you’ve ever wondered how plants grow, survive, and adapt to their dynamic environment, the secret lies in their vast array of chemical messengers, also called phytohormones. Brassinosteroids  are important hormones that are crucial for plant development and defense against environmental stresses.…

Methyltransferase TaSAMT1 mediates wheat freezing tolerance by integrating brassinosteroid and salicylic acid signaling

Temperature extremes, such as cold stress, severely affect wheat (Triticum aestivum) productivity and quality by impairing its vegetative and reproductive growth. Several phytohormones have roles in cold stress, such as brassinosteroids (BRs) and salicylic acid (SA). However, how BR interacts with SA…

A nitrogen-fixing algal organelle

Coale et al. provide an exciting peek into the evolution of a nitrogen-fixing organelle (called a nitroplast) in their studies of a tiny marine alga, Braarudosphaera bigelowii and its endosymbiont cyanobacterium, Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa (UCYN-A). Plant biologists are familiar with…

Altering root system architecture in barley without impacting above-ground traits

Roots are important for acquiring water and nutrients from the soil; however root system architecture is poorly understood in cereal crops. Here Aldiss et al. used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate barley mutants in the auxin transporter PIN-FORMED2 (PIN2). Seedlings were grown in chambers and after four days…

All fruit things come to an end: FRUITFULL controls end of flowering and seed yield in pea

The onset of flowering is a tightly regulated process, as is the end of the reproductive phase in plants. In Arabidopsis thaliana, FRUITFULL (FUL) contributes to ending the reproductive cycle, as do signals derived from developing seeds. Here, Martínez-Fernández et al. explored to which extent that…

SWEET sugar transporters orchestrate distribution of microbiota along the root longitudinal axis

Plant roots are functionally distinct along the longitudinal axis due to different cell types and diverse metabolic states. Root-secreted metabolites are involved in the assembly of complex microbial communities, yet the relationships between root-metabolites and organization of root microbiota at the…

Unlocking nature’s arsenal: Engineering grasses for insect defense and livestock palatability

The defensive alkaloid gramine, present in barley and other grass species, plays an important role in protecting the plant from insect damage but poses challenges for ruminant palatability. Breeding strategies balance these factors by maintaining the protective function and making the grain palatable…

Hidden influence: How microbial stress responses shape plant natural selection

Soil microbial communities respond rapidly to stress, potentially leading to altered compositions in stressful environments and consequently impacting plant natural selection. Bolin and Lau investigated the influence of microbial responses to stress and persistent microbial legacy effects on plant selection.…

Unintended consequences of planting native and non- native trees in treeless ecosystems to mitigate climate change

Afforestation initiatives are globally underway to replace naturally treeless ecosystems with native and non-native trees. The primary objective is to enhance atmospheric carbon capture as a means to combat climate change. This review seeks to illuminate the diverse impacts of afforestation, both positive…