Plants actively shape the microbial community in their rhizosphere to optimize nutrient acquisition and enhance resilience against environmental stresses. Interestingly, in dioecious plants, male and female individuals play distinct ecological roles and evolve different environmental adaptability. For…

Review. Unraveling plant-microbe interaction dynamics: Insights from the Tripartite Symbiosis Model Plants naturally interact with a diverse array of microorganisms, which influence their fitness in various ways. However, understanding these plant-microbe interactions and applying the knowledge in…

One of the great dilemmas of science is the fact that nitrogen gas, though very abundant in the atmosphere, is limiting for most forms of life. Of course, this lack of availability is because N2 gas has an extremely strong triple bond holding the two nitrogen atoms together; it’s so strong that N2…

The advancement of scientific knowledge often relies on long-term research efforts, which enable researchers to study multiple factors and thoroughly test their hypothesis. In plant biology, long research projects serve as a cornerstone, providing crucial insights into complex processes and environmental…

Dr. Rachel Egger is a principal scientist at Syngenta. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2016 from Stanford University, where she investigated maize reproductive development. In 2018, she joined Syngenta and has recently been acknowledged as an Inspiring Woman in Plant Science by ASPB (https://blog.aspb.org/25-inspiring-women-in-plant-biology/).…

Is there anything more daunting than beginning a new writing project and staring at a blank page for days or even weeks? This common challenge often feels overwhelming, but there are strategies to overcome it. Scientific writing can be especially demanding. Crafting a journal article requires simplifying…

The January 2025 issue of Plant Physiology has a focus on “Hypoxia and Plants”. This field has made a lot of progress recently in understanding plant responses to low oxygen, from the molecular to physiological and developmental levels. The focus issue includes reviews on topics such as divergent…

Special issue: Parasitic plants Runo, Wicke, and Thorogood have edited a special issue of Plants, People, Planet on the topic of parasitic plants. (Note - the Special Issue will be launched on February 19, but the articles are already online in Early View). It’s nice to see a collection…