At the height of the Covid pandemic, epidemiologists carried out mass sequencing of the circulating virus populations to track their movements and the emergence of new variants. Such molecular epidemiological studies are rarer for plant pathogens but can be equally effective in learning about their patterns…

The May 2025 issue of The Plant Cell has a focus on Arabidopsis and how this simple model plant has had an outsized impact on our understanding of pretty much everything botanical (and beyond). Alongside several articles highlighting this impact, this review by Roeder et al. features eight short vignettes…

Plant biologists are critical players in the pursuit of crop enhancement and other real-world solutions to today’s pressing problems, yet few of us know how to translate our research into tangible economic or social benefits. This useful and engaging article by Jonathan Napier walks us through the…

Mitochondria are vital energy-producing organelles that depend on precise RNA processing for function. In this study, Peng et al. identify PPR767, a mitochondria-localized E-type pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein in rice, as a key regulator of plant architecture and drought tolerance. Loss-of-function…

In the dark (e.g., under soil), hypocotyls elongate, but when exposed to light, they stop elongation. The biosynthesis of the plant hormone auxin is implicated in the elongation of hypocotyls in the dark. In the light, however, auxin action is inhibited, thereby limiting hypocotyl elongation. The E3…

A recent study by Vardanega et al. focuses on the development of the unique barley inflorescence architecture and unveils key molecular controls underlying meristematic determinacy. The CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-related (CLE) – CLAVATA1 (CLV1) interaction has been tied to meristem size and…

Single-cell technologies have brought our understanding of complex tissues to whole new levels. Previous methods showed how gene expression in tissues changes over time or after challenges, whereas now these patterns can be assigned to specific cell types, revealing intricate, elegant processes. Here,…

How do plants protect themselves from microbial invaders? One response is the closure of plasmodesmata to stop the spread of microbial effector proteins that help pathogens evade the immune response, protecting neighboring uninfected cells. While the phenomenon of plasmodesmata closure in response of…