Plants don’t grow alone. They cultivate vibrant microbial communities around their roots that shape their growth, health, and resilience. Root exudates, cocktails of secreted metabolites, play a key role in selectively recruiting beneficial soil bacteria. Yet when, where, and how these exudates are released within the root system has remained largely unknown. Using an in-house […]
Photosynthesis is nature’s most powerful carbon capture system, fueling life on Earth and inspiring new strategies for sustainable agriculture. In plants, The Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle generates C3 carbohydrates but is inefficient at producing the two-carbon acetyl–coenzyme A (CoA), which is the universal precursor for synthesizing lipids. The decarboxylation of pyruvate releases carbon, limiting the overall efficiency […]
Photosynthesis is nature’s most powerful carbon capture system, fueling life on Earth and inspiring new strategies for sustainable agriculture. In plants, The Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle generates C3 carbohydrates but is inefficient at producing the two-carbon acetyl–coenzyme A (CoA), which is the universal precursor for synthesizing lipids. The decarboxylation of pyruvate releases carbon, limiting the overall efficiency […]
When drought strikes, plants struggle to survive. Growth slows, flowers appear too early, fruits drop prematurely, and harvests shrink. Scientists have long tried to engineer drought tolerance plants, but boosting this often comes with a hidden cost: stunted growth even when water is plentiful. This paradox raises a new question – what if the real […]
Plants may not have white blood cells, but they are far from defenseless. Instead, they rely on specialized immune receptors called NLRs (nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors) to recognize intracellular invaders and trigger strong defense responses. These receptors are molecular shape-shifters, assembling into large multi-protein complexes known as resistosomes. For example, the ZAR1 resistosome forms a […]
When plants grow shoulder to shoulder in crowded fields, they don’t just compete for space and sunlight—they also “talk” to one another. This underground and airborne chatter, carried by leaf volatiles and root exudates, helps plants sense nearby neighbors and prepare for threats. But how exactly does this communication unfold? Guo and colleagues set out […]
When plants face tough times, like an invading pathogen or a sudden drought, they often make a difficult choice: pause growth to focus on survival. This phenomenon, called the growth–defense trade-off, has long been thought to result from limited resources – plants simply can’t do everything at once. But recent discoveries suggest the story is […]
Plants have their own version of an immune system—and it’s smarter than you might think. Through a process called Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR), plants can “remember” an attack and prepare for the next one, arming themselves with long-lasting, broad-spectrum immunity. When one leaf is infected, the plant sends signals to distant, uninfected tissues, essentially “priming” […]
While phosphorus (P) ranks the second most essential mineral nutrient for plant growth, its availability in natural soils is often very low. To cope with this limitation, plant roots have evolved sophisticated molecular mechanisms and phenotypic plasticity to maximize root surface area and enhance P uptake—typically by promoting lateral root and root hair proliferation at […]