For a plant, form is function. Despite the diversity of forms that exist in nature, plant root diversity is notoriously understudied compared to their aerial counterpart. This review by Ramachandran and Ramirez et al. aims to revitalize the field of root form-function research by accentuating the vast array of root adaptations plants have evolved to […]
Thanks to the continued shedding and renewal of root cap cells, plant roots are able to extend into further reaches within the soil column overcoming physical barriers and potential microbial attacks, or so we assumed. Charura et al. explored the latter hypothesis showing that timely programmed cell death at the root cap confers protective properties […]
Grafting is a way to combine the desirable properties of two plants by joining the scions and rootstocks from different plants. While frequently practiced, little is known about how grafting within and between coniferous species works. Most pertinently, grafting success relies on how efficiently connected vasculatures can heal at the graft junction. Precisely, this is […]
C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) is a multigene family of peptide hormones originally described as systemic long-distance signals in response to nitrogen limitation. Over the years since the discovery of these peptide hormones, the literature on CEP biology has expanded the repertoire of developmental and physiological roles in planta beyond nitrogen demand signaling. This review by […]