Volume 7 Issue 12, December 2021

Hybrid diploid breeding is a radical innovation that promises to revolutionize breeding practices in potato, the world’s third-largest food crop. Yet concerted efforts are needed to ensure this innovation can be harnessed for food security.

By sieving through the plant genomic literature for the last 20 years, a study uncovered a disconnection between the research locales and plants’ native ranges. Colonialism, both past and present, might be behind this disparity.

Mixing maternal and paternal genomes is the base of plant sexual reproduction, but some so-called ‘haploid inducer lines’ lead to the formation of seeds bearing well-developed embryos with solely the maternal genome. A recent study adds a new piece to the puzzle of this enigmatic in planta haploid embryo induction process.

Auxin is a master hormone that affects most aspects of plant development. Its inactivation is a key process in regulating auxin levels, but it is only now that we are starting to properly understand the steps involved.

The establishment of cell polarity is essential for plant growth and development. The process involves biochemical cues and mechanical changes. Here the authors review the establishment of polarity in plant cells, with a particular focus on the molecular players connecting mechanical information and cell morphogenesis.

This study establishes the effect of ENSO cycles modulated by SAM in South America on a native conifer over multiple centuries and the reproductive cycle of individual plants on a regional scale in line with climate events.

Analyses of plant genomes sequenced in the past 20 years, the species taxonomic distribution and national participation reveal that genome quality has increased but substantial taxonomic gaps exist, and that the field has been dominated by the Global North.

This study revealed a novel regulator, ZmPLD3, for maternal haploid induction in maize. Loss-of-function mutations of ZmPLD3 showed an induction rate similar to that of mtl/zmpla1/nld and induced haploids in a synergistic manner with the mtl mutations.

Glutaredoxins are small redox proteins that use glutathione as a cofactor. In maize, a glutaredoxin named MSCA1 controls the activity of transcription factor FASCIATED EAR4 through dimerization, regulating inflorescence meristem development.