A pan-genome has been assembled for the Solanum genus, which contains many diverse and economically important crops including potato, tomato, and African eggplant. Genomes were assembled for 22 species, and genes were predicted based on previous reference genomes and from RNA sequences across multiple tissues. Approximately 60% of genes were the core genome (found in […]
Up to 40% of harvested broccoli never reaches consumers due to quality losses during senescence, including yellowing and nutrient degradation. Reactive oxygen species cause oxidative stress within the plant, accelerating these negative changes through the jasmonate (JA) pathway. Gage et al. investigated if oxidative hormesis, where a mild activation of the stress-response pathway improves the […]
Starch is the major storage carbohydrate in plants, and in Arabidopsis leaves it forms granules in the chloroplasts to supply energy during the night when photosynthesis is inactive. These semicrystalline granules are made of glucose chains, which can be mostly unbranched (amylose) or highly branched (amylopectin). The formation of new starch granules (initiation) is achieved […]
Starch is the major storage carbohydrate in plants and is organised into semicrystalline granules. The size, shape, and composition of these granules greatly affects how they are digested, and which industrial applications they are suitable for. Therefore, the enzymes controlling starch synthesis are incredibly valuable targets for breeders, despite being poorly understood outside of the […]