Letters

The normalized difference vegetation index is an established remote sensing indicator for measuring greenspace, but this Letter highlights a potential drawback to be taken into account when applying the index in urban areas.

Gene regulation modulates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by as yet largely unknown effectors in plants. A systems biology approach identifies and characterizes GBF2 as a new transcriptional regulator of plant ER stress responses.

Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) can repress translation efficiency to achieve low but precise protein production. Wu et al. show that uORFs function to buffer a stable production of a clock protein, TOC1, for sustaining a robust circadian rhythm in plant cells.

Membrane receptor kinases are involved in many signalling pathways in plants. Here, the authors show that a common mechanism, consisting of a RLCK kinase and a PP2C phosphatase, regulates signalling downstream of receptors, both in immunity and development.

Gene duplication and subsequent paralogue diversification shape phenotypes. This study shows how paralogues controlling stem cell proliferation evolve over short time scales and provides an evo-devo perspective for trait engineering in crop design.

In hexaploid persimmon, the RADIALIS-like gene was identified as a key player in the reversion of male flowers to hermaphroditism. Interestingly, it acts independently of the pathways involved in the ancestral transitions away from hermaphroditism.

Equatorial latitudes are often assumed to be regions of high biodiversity from which new species radiate. However, late Silurian–Early Devonian strata show that during their first major diversification, land plants were less diverse in the tropics.

Terrestrial biosphere models use a temperature function for N fixation in trees that may not be accurate. This Letter presents evidence that higher temperatures, caused by global warming, may increase N fixation.

The crucial enzyme for photosynthesis, Rubisco, is deactivated during periods of shade and slowly recovers when illuminated. In fluctuating light conditions crop productivity could be substantially increased by slowing Rubisco deactivation during shade.

Over-expressing TaWOX5 substantially increases the transformation efficiencies of wheat and other cereals, including barley and maize, with reduced genotype dependency, and transformed transgenic plants can readily be screened using a visible phenotype.

A study finds that N-terminal RT–Cas9 nickase fusion, versus the commonly applied C-terminal fusion, and multiple-nucleotide substitutions in prime editing guide RNAs can synergistically and greatly enhance the efficiency of prime editor 3 in rice and maize.

Single-cell profiling of callus from hypocotyl explants shows the heterogeneity of this tissue and identifies gene networks needed for plant regeneration, in particular the essential roles of WOX5 and WOX7 in this biological process.

This study reports a donor DNA-free approach for gene knock-up based on CRISPR. It induced designed promoter swap or replacement for target genes by triggering genomic inversion or duplication so as to elevate gene expression and generate new traits.

Plants have developed defences against herbivores, but with multiple threats at different times, those defences may be compromised. This experiment finds that plants adapt over time to anticipate prevalent herbivores and common patterns of attack.

The coat protein complex II (COPII) is a type of specialized vesicle coat protein that mediates vesicle trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus. A population of giant COPII vesicles is identified and shown to be produced in response to the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis.

This study of 4,000-year-old Egyptian yarn examines the cellular nature of the flax fibres to investigate their durability and integrity, as well as their differences from modern flax.

Analyses of four International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center global spring wheat trial datasets showed that genotype–environment interactions have changed over recent decades and crossover interactions have increased, largely owing to climatic factors, making breeders’ decision-making harder.

Phytochrome B was found to directly trigger light-dependent chromatin remodelling by physically interacting with a component of PRC2, thereby regulating the expression of target genes, including growth-promoting genes.

New emerged variants of stem rust threaten wheat production globally. Here, mutational genomics is used to characterize a new resistance gene named Sr27 both in wheat and in triticale, and the corresponding secreted effector in the pathogen, AvrSr27.

A probe to visualize membrane potential in real time is used to connect rapid auxin-induced membrane depolarization with root growth inhibition, which are both controlled by the AFB1 auxin receptor.