This is such an engaging and though-provoking review article. I’d love to ask a group of students to think about what makes a tree a tree, including such questions as: How do we define trees? Do woody plants share a single origin? How many angiosperms are woody? The answer to those questions and more…

Photosynthetic organisms were long believed to only use visible light for energy capture, until the discovery of far-red photosynthesis challenged this view. Far-red photosynthesis is thought to be enabled by the presence of the pigment chlorophyll f. Although previous studies have identified chlorophyll…

I expect we’ve all been captivated by images of the beautiful spiral chloroplasts in the Spirogyra genus of filamentous algae, and who could forget that name? A new paper by Goldbecker et al. presents the genome of Spirogyra pratensis, uncovering not only some insights into this remarkable structure,…

Phosphorus (P) is one of the indispensable macronutrients that fuel plant growth and development. However, most soil P is locked in insoluble complexes with heavy metals, making it largely inaccessible to plants. In rice, the MYB transcription factor PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE 2 (OsPHR2) acts as a…

A recent study by Pi et al. decoded previously unknown mechanism through which a virus manipulates the plant defense pathway for successful infection. Focusing on the interaction between barley and the devastating barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV), researchers identified a critical regulatory hub centered…

Salicylic acid (SA) is best known as a central hormone orchestrating plant immune response, including the hypersensitive reaction and systemic acquired resistance. Beyond defense, SA also influences plant growth and development, highlighting a delicate role in balancing the trade-off between immunity…

Through their roots, plants live in close association with many soil microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria that help them grow. Beneficial fungi help plants cope with stress, and in return, the plants provide them with nutrients. A key part of this exchange is the movement of sucrose, a sugar…

Plants depend on innate immune systems to recognize microbial invaders or damages that signal danger. This discrimination must be extremely precise: they must welcome beneficial microbes that support nutrient uptake and growth while defending against pathogens that threaten survival. A long-standing…