Recent Posts

Review. Climate change impacts on seed production and quality

As the effects of climate change become increasingly severe and evident, there is growing concern about the future of food production. However, unlike its impact on crop yields, there is little clarity on the effects of climate change on the foundation of most agricultural systems: seed production and…

Long-distance turgor pressure changes induce local activation of plant glutamate receptor-like channels

Following wounding or herbivory, plants can rapidly transmit signals systemically (over long distances). These systemic signals are thought to enhance plant defenses by preparing distant tissues for imminent attack. Genetic studies have shown that the glutamate receptor-like calcium channel GLR3.3 (a…

Fine tuning upstream open reading frames allow graded protein downregulation in plants

Regulatory components called upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are commonly found in eukaryotic mRNA molecules. These uORFs regulate the translation rate of downstream coding sequences. Xue et al. edited uORFs added or edited uORFs in several genes to investigate the effects of adding or extending…

Uncovering the brassinosteroid gene regulatory networks in Arabidopsis root using single-cell RNA sequencing

Brassinosteroid hormones regulate root growth and development by controlling cell division and elongation. However, it has been unclear why and how root cells with different identities and developmental stages respond to brassinosteroids differently. Nolan et al. used cutting-edge single-cell RNA sequencing…

Gaining cis-elements contributed to enhanced expression of C4 genes

C4 photosynthesis is derived from C3 photosynthesis. When related genes are compared, those involved in C4 photosynthesis tend to be more highly expressed. To understand this phenomenon, Singh et al. undertook a very impressive approach to look at transcriptional regulation of essentially all the photosynthetic…

Reduction of stomatal density by STOMAGEN paralog editing

Climate change is having negative effects on yield of economically important crops such as rice. Therefore, there is a pressing need for climate-change adapted crops. Previous research has highlighted that a decrease in stomatal density can enhance drought tolerance. EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR-LIKE9…

Hydraulic trade-offs underlie enhanced performance of polyploid trees under soil water deficit

The (apparently delicious) fruit called atemoya is produced from a hybrid of Annona squamosa (sugar apple) × Annona cherimola (cherimoya), native to the American tropics but now grown widely. The hybridization event led to plants with several ploidies; diploid, triploid and tetraploid, which serve as…

How did the daisy get its spots? Gene co-option and fly mimicry

This is one of those “straight into the textbook” stories. Kellenberger et al. investigated the unusual petal pigmentation pattern of a South African daisy Gorteria diffusa, which has petals with odd lumpy irregular spots that mimic female flies and enhance pollination through sexual deception. The…

Plants cultivated for ecosystem restoration can evolve towards a domestication syndrome

The pressing need to restore degraded areas has led to an unprecedented demand for native seeds. However, seeds are not always available in sufficient quantity and quality in nature, so some restoration practitioners might opt to source their seeds from wild plants grown on farms, just like any crop.…