Hydrogen peroxide: A new messenger in the phosphate starvation response
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhosphorus (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…
Review. Root growth under phosphorus deficiency: Revisiting the role of TOR signaling
Plant Science Research WeeklyWhile phosphorus (P) ranks the second most essential mineral nutrient for plant growth, its availability in natural soils is often very low. To cope with this limitation, plant roots have evolved sophisticated molecular mechanisms and phenotypic plasticity to maximize root surface area and enhance P…
The white lupin trehalase gene regulates cluster root formation and function under phosphorus deficiency
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and development. Under P deficiency, white lupin develops cluster roots (CR), specialized root structures that enhance soil exploration and nutrient acquisition. While sugar signaling, particularly sucrose, has been shown to play a role in the…
Modern agriculture practices negatively affect functions of beneficial plant microbes (Nature Ecol. Evol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyAre modern agricultural practices good for the environment? Or at least for the crops? If we look at a small field at a particular time point, it may seem they are good. But looking at a broader picture gives a different notion. In a recent study, Edlinger et al. collected 210 soil samples from traditional…
Plants balance nucleotide availability with ribosome production
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellBusche and colleagues undertook a genetic screen to identify new components of the TOR signaling pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana and revealed a link between sensing of nutrient levels and protein translation.
By Michael Busche, University of California-Berkeley, and Jacob O. Brunkard, University…