Volume 3 Issue 9, September 2017

Semi-dwarf cereal varieties have greatly increased crop yields due to their reduced stature, but they also reduce individual spike (ear) size. However, these traits appear to be regulated by distinct pathways, opening new opportunities to develop higher yielding crops.

The sequencing and draft assembly of the sweet potato genome has resolved much of its complex genetic redundancies, allowing a better inference of the botanical origin of the staple crop.

Hi-C experiments in rice reveal that the rice genome is partitioned into well-defined three-dimensional structures similar to so-called topologically associating domains found in metazoans.

New genomic maps reveal that R-loop structures formed upon hybridization of nascent RNA transcripts to the DNA template are a common characteristic of Arabidopsis chromatin that may have a broad impact on gene expression.

The genes in maize that influence environmental sensitivity are largely independent of the genes that influence mean trait values.

Assembly of polyploid plant genomes has been technically challenging. Now, a study presents a half haplotype-resolved hexaploid genome of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, using a novel haplotyping method.

A study reports a high-efficient approach, ssDRIP-seq, for genome-wide identification of chromatin R-loops. Using this approach, researchers present the first genome-wide profile of Arabidopsis R-loops, showing that the R-loop is a common chromatin feature.

Whether phenotypic mean values and plasticity share similar genetic architectures remains elusive. A study examining multiple traits in a maize NAM population using GWAS showed that genes underlying mean and plasticity measures form distinct groups.

Mechanical heterogeneity due to differences in methyl-esterification of cell wall pectins is sufficient to produce asymmetric leaf morphology, as predicted by a mathematical model and validated in Arabidopsis and tomato.

The uptake of CO2 by leaves, and its conversion to sugars, is the basis for life on land. This study proposes a model unifying light-use efficiency relationships and a standard model of photosynthesis across species and ecosystems, and globally.

Unlike in animal species, where topologically associated domains (TADs) are prevalent, it has been shown that TADs are not prominent in the Arabidopsis genome. Now, Hi-C shows that prominent TADs differentiate rice from Arabidopsis.

During gibberellic acid signalling, DELLAs restrict the size of the shoot apical meristem by targeting the cell cycle regulator KRP2. The roles of DELLAs in the shoot apical meristem and stem growth can be genetically uncoupled in Arabidopsis and barley.