When form fits function: the value of root diversity to survival For a plant, form is function. Despite the diversity of forms that exist in nature, plant root diversity is notoriously understudied compared to their aerial counterpart. This review by Ramachandran and Ramirez et al. aims to revitalize…

Review: Bringing purple tomatoes to market This interesting article by Cathie Martin and Eugenio Butelli describes the process through which purple, anthocyanin-accumulating tomatoes were brought to the US market, from idea to business plan to regulatory status review and finally direct-to-consumer…

Spotlight: The role of fossils for reconstructing the evolution of plant development I suspect if we asked someone to describe a fossil we’d hear a lot about dinosaur bones. Certainly, science museums are full of fossilized animal remains, which have greatly informed our understanding of animal…

Virtual issue: The chemical language of plant–microbe–microbe associations Don’t miss this exciting Virtual Issue from New Phytologist on “plant-microbe-microbe” interactions. That’s not a typo – many of the articles address the signals that coordinate such multi-factorial interactions,…

Review: Molecular concepts to explain heterosis in crops Heterosis, the phenomenon where hybrid plants outperform their genetically distinct parents, is a cornerstone of modern agriculture. This review by Hochholdinger and Yu explores the molecular mechanisms behind heterosis. The review traces the…

Review: Guidelines for studying and naming plant plasma-membrane domains Numerous studies have highlighted the critical importance of plasma membrane heterogeneities in regulating cell functions, leading to a proliferation of overlapping and contradictory terminologies. Here, Jaillais and others in…

Review. Chilling out: How plants remodel membranes to survive the cold Low temperatures disrupt cellular processes and require metabolic adaptation. Cold-induced lipid remodeling helps maintain membrane permeability and prevents phase separations that can lead to cellular damage. In this review, Shomo,…

Review. Lighting the way: Compelling open questions in photosynthesis research Photosynthesis is fundamental to life on Earth and a topic that all plant biologists should have a good understanding of, but it is also an incredibly complex set of processes, reactions and structures spanning great temporal…