Sensing the dry: Redox-regulated auxin repression shapes root plasticity
Available online 1 November 2025
Root architecture is crucial for plant survival under drought, yet how water stress signals shape root development has remained unclear. Recently, Roy et al. (Science) revealed that drought-induced...
Dual-strategy approach for fungicide discovery: Machine learning-based activity prediction and fragment co-occurrence network construction
Available online 29 October 2025
The development of fungicides is time-consuming and costly. Introducing a fungicide-likeness assessment strategy at the early screening stage can help reduce development risks and improve the success...
Nanosensors convert H2O2 to machine-learnable thermal signatures in plants
Available online 22 October 2025
Abiotic stresses including drought and salt can severely inhibit plant growth and represent major threats to agricultural productivity. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) serves as a key signaling mediator in...
PBAT/PPCP biodegradable mulching films with enhanced weatherability and water barrier properties for increased cotton yields
Available online 21 October 2025
Agricultural "white pollution" drives demand for fully biodegradable mulching films, among which poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) films are especially attractive due to their excellent...
Biosynthesis and antifungal activity of silver nanoparticles against Nigrospora oryzae
Available online 13 October 2025
Fungal diseases substantially constrain potato production by impairing fundamental physiological processes. In greenhouse-grown seedlings, Nigrospora oryzae (N. oryzae) was identified as the etiological...
Nature biotechnology: Scalable production of secondary metabolites from Streptomyces via a novel regulatory system
Available online 9 October 2025
In the world of microorganisms, the genud Streptomyces is renowned as a “natural pharmacy”. This genus of bacteria is the primary source of clinical antibiotics, with approximately two-thirds of antibiotics...
Insight into the enantioselective of chiral penthiopyrad for serum albumin: Spectroscopic and computational approaches
September 2025
Chiral pesticides, such as penthiopyrad, consist of enantiomers with differing biological activities and toxicological profiles, potentially leading to environmental risks. This study investigates the...
Fabrication of a nano-herbicide QNC@BA-COF with high control efficiency and reduced side effects
September 2025
The low efficiency of herbicide formulations poses environmental risks during spraying. Nano-based encapsulation technology can enhance utilization efficiency for sustainable agriculture. Covalent organic...
Genetically encoded biosensors for spatiotemporal monitoring of plant proteins in growth and stress responses
September 2025
Genetically encoded biosensors are powerful tools for monitoring plant proteins, which could offer high spatial and temporal resolution and help reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying plant growth...
Adaptation of lentils to high-temperature stress at phytopathogenic infection and application of molybdenum nanoparticles
September 2025
The study of the impact of high-temperature stress on the plant-phytopathogen system, including using nanoparticles, is relevant in connection with climate changes. Therefore, our work was aimed at...
Sustainable extraction of personalized plant nano-stimulants from conspecific donor plants to induce mirror biostimulant activity in identical host plants
September 2025
Conventional agrochemical plant biostimulants have been used to increase crop yield and stress resistance, and this strategy continues to be integral to today's farming. While effective, the large-scale...
A self-reportable fluorescence lighting-up nanoherbicide with minimized off-target hazards
September 2025
Herbicides are the most widely used class of pesticides in modern agriculture, while they are still problematic for their off-target hazards due to volatility, drift, and leaching. Nanoformulations...
Mandimycin: A phospholipid-targeting natural polyene macrolide overcoming multidrug resistance in invasive fungal infections
September 2025
Developing novel anti-infective drugs is essential to combat antimicrobial resistance, address emerging pathogens, and safeguard global health against evolving infectious threats. A recent publication...
Advances in controlled release systems for sustainable crop production: A review of nano-, micro-, and macro-formulations
September 2025
The high necessity to develop novel and optimized technologies for crop production is very high due to the exponential growth in term of world population of the last years. In this field a novel use...
Small-giants in agriculture: How can nanoparticles improve cereal biofortification?
September 2025
Micronutrient deficiency is a significant global issue that results in diets lacking adequate vitamins and minerals. Low nutrient levels are primarily attributed to crops cultivated in soils with insufficient...
cAMP: the true second messenger in transcriptional auxin signaling
September 2025
Auxins were the first of the major plant hormones and played key roles in plant growth and development. Auxin triggered gene expression through several mechanisms. The canonical textbook model is that...
From cultivation to Consumption: Evaluating the effects of nano fertilizers on food quality and safety
September 2025
Nanofertilizers represent a breakthrough in sustainable agriculture, offering innovative solutions to improve nutrient efficiency, crop productivity, and environmental resilience. Engineered at the...
Nanoparticle-loaded dsRNA delivery system for pesticides: status and perspective
September 2025
The integration of RNA interference (RNAi) technology with nanotechnology shows significant potential in overcoming the limitations of traditional double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) delivery systems, thereby...
Targeted stabilization of MYC2 protein: AI-driven resistance design conquers citrus Huanglongbing
Available online 22 September 2025
This Highlight discusses the landmark study by Zhao et al. (Science, 2025) that presents a transformative strategy against citrus Huanglongbing (HLB). The work identifies the E3 ubiquitin ligase PUB21...
The capability of synthetic cytokinin mimics for in vitro regeneration of plants
Available online 16 September 2025
Among plant hormones, cytokinins have been extensively studied for over a century due to their central roles in regulating plant development, physiology, and environmental responses. In this study,...
In-silico analysis of the mechanism of action of Nerium oleander bioactive compounds against Helicoverpa armigera
Available online 13 September 2025
Helicoverpa armigera is one of the most destructive agricultural pests worldwide, noted for its wide host range, high fecundity, and rapid development of resistance to synthetic insecticides. To address...
Utilizing cationic liposome to co-deliver poly-siRNA and chlorantraniliprole complexes: A new strategy for overcoming insecticide resistance in Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)
Available online 2 September 2025
The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is a widely distributed pest recognized for its damaging effects on cruciferous crops and its rapid development of resistance to insecticides, particularly...
Development of biosafety pyrazole-5-sulfonamide derivatives for sustainable control of peanut stem rot
Available online 23 August 2025
Sclerotium rolfsii threatens global peanut production with 15–80 % yield losses. Fungicide resistance to SDHIs (e.g., thifluzamide) and triazoles demands novel antifungal agents. Nineteen pyrazole-5-sulfonamide...
Developing RNAi pesticides in the post genomic era: A review
Available online 16 July 2025
RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a promising platform for next-generation pesticides, offering high target specificity and environmental safety. In the post-genomic era, rapid advances in insect...
Engineering living root with mechanical stimulation derived from reciprocating compression in a double network hydrogel as elastic soil
June 2025
The root system actively reacts to mechanical stimuli in its environment, transmitting mechanical signals to optimize the utilization of environmental resources. While the mechanical impedance created...