Much of our understanding of the molecular underpinning that control shoot architecture comes from studies of annual plants such as Arabidopsis, pea, and rice. This new work by Su et al. investigates shoot branching in a long-lived tree, silver birch (Betula pendula). They started with a naturally occurring…

Unlike legumes, which form symbiotic associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (diazotrophs), high-yielding cereal crops are usually supplemented with inorganic fertilizers that are both energetically and environmentally problematic. Some non-legumes can obtain nitrogen from associations with free-living…

Some people cannot eat wheat because they are sensitive to gluten, which is a proteinaceous network of glutenins and gliadins. Gliadins are divided into four classes, ω, γ, α, and β, with ω- and γ-gliadins being the most toxic to gluten sensitive individuals. Hence, there is interest in reducing…

Volatile molecules released from plant roots (root VOCs, rVOCs) can diffuse over long distances, thereby increasing the sphere of plant influence. However, their influence on complex soil microbial communities (or microbiomes) and ecological implications are poorly understood, mainly due to technical…

In recent years we have witnessed catastrophic fires throughout the world, including the redwood forests of California. Although these huge ancient trees are fire resistant, many have died due to the extreme heat generated by these recent fires. Here, Peltier et al. examined patterns of regrowth from…

Special issue: Human-machine collaboration in plant biology This is an excellent article to wrap up this year and lead us into the future. Introducing a special issue of Plant Cell Physiology, Nakajima et al. summarize an exciting collection of papers that look at diverse ways that plant biology can…

Chen, Yu, He, Peng et al. investigate the synchronized mechanisms of endosperm filling, from nutrient uptake to the biosynthesis of storage reserves. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad215 By Di Peng and Zhiyong Zhang School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University…

Xiaojing Li and Guozheng Qin, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences Background: Strawberry is an important horticultural crop with a high economic value worldwide. Various factors regulate the ripening of strawberry fruit, including the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA), epigenetic modifications,…