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…

Many animals such as corals and sea slugs host photosynthetic symbionts. Several studies have investigated how the host and symbiont coordinate their activities. This new study by Sarfati et al. explores how symbiotic green algae and their animal host, the flattened-worm Convolutriloba longifissura,…

Plants recruit beneficial microbiomes in the rhizosphere in response to aboveground pathogen infections, a mechanism known as “cry for help.” Zhang and Liu et al. investigated this effect to test whether pathogenicity is necessary for assembling a disease-suppressive rhizomicrobiome. By using nonpathogenic…

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…

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…

Fan and Whitaker explore the genetic footprint of the breeding history of cultivated strawberry. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad314 Zhen Fan and Vance M. Whitaker Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Wimauma, FL, 33597,…

Behind the manuscripts are researchers, professors, professionals and students dedicated to advancing the field of plant science. You’ve seen our First Authors on Twitter and Facebook— now, read more about why they chose to pursue plant sciences and click on the links to read their articles.   Xinyong…

Huebbers, Caldarescu, et al. examine how the EXO70 and MLO proteins cooperate in targeted deposition of cell wall components in trichomes. By Jan W. Huebbers1 and George A. Caldarescu2 1 Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056…