Adventitious roots, i.e. those derived from non-root tissues, are key elements of the plastic architecture of root systems. Auxins and cytokinins are known to induce and inhibit (respectively) adventitious root formation, though the exact mechanism remains to be fully explained. Here, Damodaran and Strader investigated the role of local conversion of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) into […]
For hundreds of years, we have propagated plants clonally by grafting, i.e. the union of a scion and a rootstock to form a new plant. To be successful, a graft junction must heal: tissues must attach, and vascular bundles reconnect, in a process known to involve auxin. Here, Serivichyasw at et al. investigate the role […]
Soil salinization causes massive yield losses in agriculture, and its impact on plants goes beyond what our eyes can see. Roots are immediately affected by the direct exposure to a salt-(NaCl) rich substrate. Here, Zou et al. investigate the salt-induced altered root gravitropic responses in Arabidopsis thaliana, dissecting the role of cell wall modification in […]
As one of the most traded commodities in the world, coffee has cultural and economic impact that spans continents. The main source of coffee beans, Coffea arabica (Arabica), is a polyploid species that resulted from the hybridization between diploid C. canephora (Robusta) and C. eugenioides (Eugenioides). Here, Salojärvi et al. produce chromosome-level assemblies of all […]
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 role extends to other plant species, namely pea (Pisum […]
The mechanisms of apical dominance and bud outgrowth have puzzled generations of plant scientists, and over a century various hypotheses have been scrutinized. Two main hubs of regulation – auxin canalization (movement of auxin from a bud into the main stem) and the branching transcription factors BRANCHED 1/2 (BRC1/2) – act in parallel and are […]
Shade avoidance syndrome (SAS) is a set of adaptive growth responses to low red to far-red light ratios. SAS includes petiole and internode lengthening and upward bending of leaves (hyponasty). In Arabidopsis, PHYTOCHROME B (PHYB) and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) are implicated in these responses. Little is known, however, about the mechanism behind SAS in […]
From food and energy to paper and timber, many industries rely on clonal propagation of tree species. Successful propagation of cuttings depends on adventitious rooting ability, which is known to decline with tree age and to be naturally low in many species of interest. Propagators therefore employ naturally occurring auxins, e.g. indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), which […]