We live at a time of unprecedented insights into root anatomy, diversity, plasticity, and the genetic underpinnings of these traits. Colombi et al. examined how wheat root tip shape contributes to soil penetration and the root’s response to increasing soil density. Not surprisingly, pointier roots (with a lower ratio of tip diameter to tip length) […]
Abscisic acid (ABA) is one of the phytohormones that plays a pivotal role in a plant’s life from germination to senescence, and it drew additional attention of researchers owing to its involvement in abiotic stress. Leaf senescence is a natural phenomenon but if this process can be delayed by non-toxic means, it may have a […]
While this series highlights the latest research, a well-read scholar also needs to to know the classics. Google Scholar has a new initiative to feature highly-cited, ten-year old articles. The most-highly cited papers published in 2006 are listed by category. Plant scientists will find particular relevance in the papers from the categories Botany, Agronomy and […]
Plasmodesmata are pores between cells through which viruses, proteins, small RNAs and other molecules can pass. The pores are usually described as being lined with a layer of plasma membrane with a tube of endoplasmic-reticulum membrane through the center. These membranes and associated proteins are crucial to regulate transport through the plasmodesmata. Nicolas et al. […]
In the symbiotic relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plants, the fungal partner greatly enhances the uptake of mineral nutrients (particularly phosphate), while in return it is supplied with organic carbon from the photosynthetic partner. Luginbuehl et al. investigated whether this organic carbon is exchanged solely as sugars, or whether fatty acids are also transferred […]
Li et al. describe an important new genetic resource, a huge database of Kitaake rice mutants. Kitaake is a short-generation variety of Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica well suited for genetic studies. The authors sequenced more than 1500 fast-neutron-induced mutants and identified more than 91,000 mutations affecting 58% of all rice genes. They identified single-base […]
Plants, like human societies, must live with the inherent conflict between investing in defense and investing in growth and infrastructure. Burrow and Halkier provide an interesting and highly readable overview of the strategies by which Arabidopsis optimizes the production and distribution of glucosinolates, key defense compounds. This would be an excellent article to show students […]
Review: How does a plant orchestrate defense in time and space? Using glucosinolates in Arabidopsis as case study Plants, like human societies, must live with the inherent conflict between investing in defense and investing in growth and infrastructure. Burrow and Halkier provide an interesting and highly readable overview of the strategies by which Arabidopsis optimizes […]
By Fulton E. Rockwell, and N. Michele Holbrook The structure of leaf vasculature viewed over a broad phylogenetic scale from lycophytes to eudicots correlates with stomatal conductance (gs), providing the basis for the hypothesis that increasing vein density drove the evolution of high fluxes in angiosperms. Yet the relationship between vascular geometry and gas fluxes […]