Review: Root development and symbiosis: an epigenetic perspective Roots do not grow in isolation but occupy a space inhabited by a variety of organisms. With certain fungi and bacteria, they form partnerships or symbiotic relationships that increase the plant’s nutrient uptake and assimilation. While the knowledge on the genetic programs required to establish these symbiotic […]
Sydney Brenner famously said, “Progress in science depends on new techniques, new discoveries and new ideas, probably in that order.” Right now, we’re seeing how advancements and new techniques in artificial intelligence and deep learning are being applied in plant sciences, including in the analysis of all sorts of large -omics datasets. This review by […]
Rising sea levels and increasing salt accumulation in irrigated soils are threatening food production globally. There is a lot to be learned from plants that have evolved tolerance to salt. In this new preprint, Martínez-Rivas et al. explored the mechanism of salt tolerance the Cvi-0 accession of Arabidopsis that is sourced from the Cape Verde […]
Plants fix carbon dioxide to generate biomass, and in many cases increasing the availability of CO2 enhances plant growth. However, some studies have shown that although yields of food crops such as rice might increase, their nutritional value decreases, due to limitations in availability of minerals such as iron and zinc. In this study by […]
Review: Deep learning approaches to understanding stomatal function Sydney Brenner famously said, “Progress in science depends on new techniques, new discoveries and new ideas, probably in that order.” Right now, we’re seeing how advancements and new techniques in artificial intelligence and deep learning are being applied in plant sciences, including in the analysis of all […]
Plant immunity is beautifully sophisticated with a ever-growing cast of characters. This review by Liu et al. focuses on the contributions of proteolysis (protein degradation), which both activates and suppresses immune responses. The authors structure the review around four key functions of proteolysis: direct degradation of pathogen proteins, activation of host immune proteins, regulation of […]
Plants have a remarkable ability to reprogram and regenerate as needed following wounding. This trait is invaluable not only to gardeners but also to regenerate plants following genome editing. Here, Wang, Zhai, Wu, and Deng have identified key steps in tissue regeneration. Through characterization of a tomato mutant with deficiencies in wound-induced regeneration, they identified […]
Most readers recognize the photograph of the amazing nitrogen-fixing maize, with its red, slimy aerial roots that nurture nitrogen-fixing bacteria. But I suspect few of us have thought about how this landrace came to the attention of the mainstream media, who owns the rights to it, and how it would be exploited and by whom. […]
Review: Strategies to improve photosynthesis Photosynthesis is the process by which plants assimilate carbon by using light energy. However, with the solar energy conversion efficiency of many crop plants less than 1%, it is inefficient. Therefore, there is interest in manipulating photosynthesis for increased efficiency. Here, Croce et al. identifying nine strategies that have, or […]