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While organic agriculture has been found to outperform conventional methods on multiple sustainability measures, this Article examines the effects of farm size on agroecological practices and finds that as organic farms get larger, they exhibit more conventional traits.
Using Brachypodium distachyon as a wheat proxy, Wang et al. identified DUO-B1, an AP2/ERF transcription factor, regulating spike type in wheat. duo-B1 leads to increased yield under field conditions without affecting other major agronomic traits.
This study reports the genomic changes underlying the convergent and divergent agronomic improvement of the female and male heterotic groups during modern hybrid maize breeding, laying a foundation for the dissection and utilization of maize heterosis.
How the plant immune signalling hub EDS1 is activated by pathogen elicitors remains enigmatic. Li et al. show that fungal elicitor perception can induce EDS1 phosphorylation by a plasma membrane tethering kinase after elegant subcellular coordination.
Mitochondrial ascorbate peroxidase (PtomtAPX) is relocated to cell walls undergoing programmed cell death and catalyses lignin polymerization. These results show how xylem cells provide autonomous enzymes needed for lignin polymerization.
The chromosomal-level genome assembly of a species from the earliest branching monocot, Acorus tatarinowii, provides evidence to trace the ancestral monocot chromosomes, and hints that the monocot ancestor might have an aquatic or wetland origin.
This study shows that Dof transcription factors in the phloem precursors not only induce formation of phloem, but also cause secretion of CLE peptides, which in turn inhibit phloem formation in neighbourhing cells by post-transcriptionally decreasing Dofs.
Photosynthesis promotes the expression of TOPOISOMERASE1α, which in turn represses TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR) expression at the root tip. Glucose-TOR regulates cell division at the quiescent centre, and phosphorylates and stabilizes PLETHORA2 in columella cells to maintain root tip homeostasis.
Heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) play critical roles in response to heat stress. This study reveals a new regulatory mechanism in Arabidospis by which ALBA proteins stabilize HSFs in cytoplasmic granules under heat stress.
Genetic, biochemical and high-resolution structural studies of chloroplast protein SOQ1 reveal the existence of a C-terminal lumenal domain with potential redox function and its essential role for suppressing photoprotection in plants.
Rubisco in seagrasses converged on lower catalytic efficiencies and CO2/O2 affinities than in their terrestrial and freshwater relatives, as a result of correlative adaptation between Rubisco and the effectiveness of their CO2-concentrating mechanisms.
An embryo-maternal communication orchestrates cell division orientation and cell fate specification during embryonic root development. This signalling is mediated by the WIP gene family members expressed embryonically and maternally.
How pathogen signals perceived by receptor kinases activate plant immunity is not fully understood. Here the authors show that phosphocoding of a shared phosphatase ensures signalling from growth and immune receptors to specific cellular responses.
S-acylation modifies cysteine residues of proteins with fatty acid moieties. An optimized acyl-resin-assisted capture assay was used to perform a comprehensive analysis of plant protein S-acylation. These data provide an atlas of S-acylation in Arabidopsis.
Pyruvate use in respiration or biosynthesis is a pivotal decision in cells. The identification of two distinct pools of pyruvate inside plant mitochondria demonstrates the heterogeneity and flexibility of pyruvate use in plant metabolism.
Polysaccharide methylation, important for cell wall structure and function, occurs in the Golgi and relies on the import of S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) molecules into the Golgi lumen by Golgi SAM transporters. This work shows the discovery and relevance of putative SAM transporters.
Division tracking of mesophyll cells shows that initial division plane orientations alternate creating cell walls at right angles, and intercellular spaces. Disruption of this pattern halts initiation of multi-cell junctions and intercellular spaces.
Patterns for the cultivation and domestication of ancient cereals can be difficult to reconstruct, but this Article demonstrates a functional ecological model that can identify soil disturbance and related plant traits, marking a new understanding of early cereal management.
Pan et al. develop a versatile CRISPR-Combo platform for simultaneous genome editing (targeted mutagenesis or base editing) and gene activation in plants, representing a versatile genome engineering tool with promising applications in crop breeding.
To enhance CO2 fixation, algae concentrate CO2 in an organelle called the pyrenoid. A biophysical model provides systematic analysis of the mechanism and determines the minimal steps for its engineering into crops to enhance yields.