Plant-permeable trehalose 6-phosphate analogues increase yield and resilience ($)

Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) is a sugar signaling molecule that regulates how plants allocate and use sucrose, which in turn affects stress resilience and yields. Griffiths et al. designed a plant-permeable, photo-activated T6P analogue that is converted to T6P in planta. Spraying this compound onto plants (Arabidopsis and wheat) increases stress resilience and yields. These results suggest a novel, non-GM approach to increasing food production. Nature 10.1038/nature20591