Synergistic and antagonistic interactions between potassium and magnesium in higher plants
April 2021
Magnesium (Mg) affects various critical physiological and biochemical processes in higher plants, and its deficiency impedes plant growth and development. Although potassium (K)-induced Mg deficiency...
Salt tolerance in rice: Physiological responses and molecular mechanisms
February 2022
Crop yield loss due to soil salinization is an increasing threat to agriculture worldwide. Salt stress drastically affects the growth, development, and grain productivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.),...
PlantGaussian: Exploring 3D Gaussian splatting for cross-time, cross-scene, and realistic 3D plant visualization and beyond
April 2025
Observing plants across time and diverse scenes is critical in uncovering plant growth patterns. Classic methods often struggle to observe or measure plants against complex backgrounds and at different...
Jasmonic acid negatively regulates wheat grain filling by affecting assimilate transport and starch biosynthesis
August 2026
Grain filling is a pivotal determinant of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield, relying on the efficient coordination of source–sink dynamics and assimilate partitioning. Jasmonic acid (JA) is widely...
Multi-environment sparse testing strategies improve genomic prediction of hybrid performance and general combining ability in maize
Available online 4 July 2026
Multi-environment trials (METs) are essential for maize breeding, but their implementation is often constrained by limited resources, particularly the high cost of phenotyping. To optimize resource...
RNAi technologies for insect control in crop protection
August 2025
RNA interference (RNAi) has been used for agricultural insect pest control based on silencing of targeted insect genes. However, the effectiveness of RNAi and its applications in insect pest control...
Single-nucleus RNA sequencing reveals transcriptional response of wheat roots and leaves to salt stress
August 2026
Deeper understanding of the mechanism by which wheat responds to salt stress (SS) remains a major challenge due to the scarcity of available single-cell/nucleus transcriptomics resources. Here, in order...
Hypocotyl–apical hook coordination determines cotton emergence under low-temperature and salinity stress
August 2026
Seedling emergence is a major determinant of stand establishment and subsequent yield formation in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), yet it is highly vulnerable to early-season low temperature and soil...
The impact of high-temperature stress on rice: Challenges and solutions
October 2021
Heat stress (HS) caused by rapidly warming climate has become a serious threat to global food security. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food crop for over half of the world’s population, and its...
High-throughput phenotyping: Breaking through the bottleneck in future crop breeding
June 2021
With the rapid development of genetic analysis techniques and crop population size, phenotyping has become the bottleneck restricting crop breeding. Breaking through this bottleneck will require phenomics,...
Root cortical senescence: An adaptive mechanism for drought tolerance in crops
August 2026
Senescence allows plants to remove unnecessary tissues and recycle nutrients. Substantial work has focused on the senescence of aboveground tissues such as leaves; by contrast, the senescence of underground...
Gene-edited staple crops: Global research and development and industrial prospects
August 2026
Gene-editing methods have significantly advanced genetic improvement and variety development in major food crops and have potential to make further major contributions to food security and human health....
CRISPR/Cas genome editing in nonregenerative cotton using sexual hybridization
June 2026
Sexual transfer of the CRISPR/Cas genome-editing system to targeted cotton cultivars could bypass their recalcitrance to regeneration from tissue culture. We used sexual hybridization to transmit a...
An updated protocol for accelerating winter wheat genetic improvement by integrating doubled haploid and off-season breeding technologies
Available online 1 July 2026
Accelerating winter wheat breeding is vital for addressing the global food crisis arising from population growth and climate change. Doubled haploid (DH) technology can produce stable inbred lines within...
The regulatory network behind maize seed germination: Effects of temperature, water, phytohormones, and nutrients
August 2021
Seed germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed. It requires suitable conditions and environmental factors. Maize is one of the most important crops worldwide. Germination influences...
Plant aquaporins: Their roles beyond water transport
June 2024
Compared to other organisms, plants have evolved a greater number of aquaporins with diverse substrates and functions to adapt to ever-changing environmental and internal stimuli for growth and development....
Pixel size and spatial scale in phenomics and enviromics modeling for precision breeding
Available online 24 June 2026
Knowing how much information a single pixel can provide is not just a technical issue; it shapes what we learn, and what we will learn, from the field. This article examines how pixel size governs the...
Rice fructokinases orchestrate carbon partitioning to regulate photosynthesis and sugar metabolism
June 2026
Fructokinases (FRKs) are key regulators in carbohydrate metabolism and plant development. However, their specific functions in crop photosynthesis and sugar metabolism remain unclear. In this study,...
ZmNAC16 increases drought tolerance in maize seedlings via ABA-mediated stomatal closure
August 2026
Stomatal movement is a crucial response of plants to drought stress. Several NAC transcription factors have been implicated in drought tolerance in maize seedlings, whereas the molecular mechanism by...
The leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase AhZAR1 regulates early seed development in peanut
August 2026
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) serves as a vital oilseed and food crop worldwide. Embryo abortion reduces seed set in peanut and significantly limits yields, but the mechanisms responsible have remained...
Reprogramming, not silencing: How plant immunity is gated during legume nodulation
Available online 24 July 2026
Legume–Rhizobium symbiosis requires rhizobial entry and intracellular persistence without triggering host defense. Recent genetic and biochemical studies support an immune-gating view in which plant...
Biological nitrogen and carbon fixation: Bridging the gap between synthetic symbioses and synthetic biology
February 2026
Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and photosynthetic carbon fixation underpin food production and climate mitigation, yet natural systems are constrained by oxygen sensitivity, high energy demand,...
OsMAP4K6 positively regulates salt tolerance via activating OsMKK6 in rice
June 2026
High-salt stress severely inhibits plant growth and development, leading to a significant reduction in rice yield. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the functions of plant...
CRISPR/Cas9 multiplex editing of four TaSK41 genes increases grain size and weight and reveals a TaSK41–TaSnRK1β1 module associated with carbohydrate metabolism in wheat
June 2026
Grain size and weight contribute to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield, yet how Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3)/SHAGGY-like kinase signaling interfaces with carbohydrate metabolism during grain development...
Physiology of medicinal and aromatic plants under drought stress
April 2024
Drought poses a significant challenge, restricting the productivity of medicinal and aromatic plants. The strain induced by drought can impede vital processes like respiration and photosynthesis, affecting...
