Sugars produced in photosynthetically active mesophyll cells move into the phloem through a process known as phloem loading, but not all plants phloem load the same way. Some use a passive process in which sugars move down a concentration gradient into the phloem, but others use active transport processes. Some species use a “polymer trap” […]
Gibberella stalk rot (GSR) is a fungal disease of maize. Through QTL-seq, a whole genome sequencing method, Chen et al. identified a new resistance quantitative trait locus (QTL) Rgsr8.1 that confers broad-spectrum resistance to GSR. Two candidate genes were identified, one encoding an auxin response factor and the other a disease resistance protein. (Summary by […]
Brassinosteroid hormones (BRs) play significant roles in plant growth and development. Que et al. examined BR accumulation and the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis, signalling and catabolism of BRs in carrot (Daucus carota), a phytonutrient-rich crop. A key finding is the increase in petiole number and length upon exogenous BR treatment. (Summary by […]
Local adaptation and plant fitness (how plants perform on those localities) are strongly influenced by the seasonal timing of germination and flowering. Germination timing affects when a plant flowers and the selective environment under which flowering occurs. The other way around is also true, timing of flowering influence when seeds are set and dispersed, as […]
The nematode Heterodera schachtii is a parasite of the sugar beet. Understanding how H. schachtii parasitizes the plant is crucial to develop tools to minimize infestation and crop losses. From the H. schachtii transcriptome, the authors identified the sequence of a putative secreted effector protein containing a tyrosinase domain, termed Hs-Tyr. Hs-Tyr mRNA expression peaked […]
Editorial: Introducing Plant Direct Editor-in-Chief Ivan Baxter introduces the new journal Plant Direct, “a new journal from Wiley and the societies behind Plant Physiology, The Plant Journal, and The Plant Cell” [that is, the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) and Society for Experimental Biology (SEB)]. This new Open Access journal is a “sound science” […]
Potassium (K+) retention in the roots and shoots is correlated with increased tolerance to salinity and drought. However, in response to salt stress, K+ efflux from roots is induced. Shabala investigates three possible reasons for this stress-induced K+ efflux: K+ could leave to charge-balance the Na+ that enters, K+ efflux could trigger programmed cell death […]
Editor-in-Chief Ivan Baxter introduces the new journal Plant Direct, “a new journal from Wiley and the societies behind Plant Physiology, The Plant Journal, and The Plant Cell” [that is, the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) and Society for Experimental Biology (SEB)]. This new Open Access journal is a “sound science” journal, which means that […]
ZZZZZZ…even the smartest scientists struggle to follow very dense science writing. Choksawatdikorn/shutterstock Zoe Doubleday, University of Adelaide As research scientists, we read a lot of scientific papers. But it may surprise you to learn that a lot of the time we – yes, we scientists – don’t understand what we’re reading, or we’re too bored […]