Volume 7 Issue 2, February 2021

The genetic control of crop growth and behaviour can be modified through traditional plant breeding or genetic engineering, but is fixed once a variety is sown. New spray-on viral transfection technology can transiently alter gene expression to fine-tune agronomic traits within the season while avoiding modifications to the genome.

In plants, the absence of the retinal cofactor hinders the implementation of light-gated ion channels and optogenetic control of membrane potentials through rhodopsins. The engineering of β-carotene conversion into retinal now makes this powerful approach possible.

All living organisms require proper environmental pH for normal growth and development. Unlike in bacteria, fungi and animal cells, the mechanisms for environmental pH sensing in plants are underexamined. In this Perspective, the authors summarize the current understanding of the process in various organisms and propose possible molecular mechanisms underlying the perception of external pH in plants.

Asia has a rich variety of nutritious ‘neglected crops’, including cereals, roots and pulses. Adopting a diverse cropping portfolio using these forgotten crops is a promising approach to closing the current production and nutrition gaps.

Genomic analyses of ancient and modern common beans reveal that most domesticated traits were selected 2,500 years ago or earlier, but genetic erosion occurred only in the past 600 years. This decoupling indicates a weak selection pressure imposed by early Andean farmers.

In rice, it is known that miR168 regulates AGO1. Using a target mimic approach to suppress the microRNA enhances resistance against rice blast disease, increases grain yield and shortens growth period, including in field trials.

Zinc (Zn) is one of the essential micronutrients for plant growth and development, but the Zn-sensing mechanisms are poorly understood in plants. Two Arabidopsis bZIP transcription factors were previously shown to modulate plant responses to Zn deficiency. In this study, the authors find that they are indeed the sensors of Zn in Arabidopsis.

The expression of a light-gated anion channelrhodopsin from a unicellular algae and a retinal-producing enzyme from a marine bacterium enable green light optogenetic manipulation of plant cells, as demonstrated in pollen tubes.

The source of pre-Inca agriculture in the Atacama Desert of Chile has been the subject of multiple theories, but this Article uses preserved maize remains to deduce that coastal guano deposits were utilized in an impressive display of social and ecological sophistication.

The implementation of RNA viral transfection technology in multiple plant species allows transient expression or silencing of specific regulatory genes in various regulatory circuits to rapidly fine-tune multiple traits without modifying the genome.

Comparative analysis of genetic variations of bread wheat accessions created in the last 150 years and 45 related species revealed a major contribution of introgressions and chromosomal rearrangements to cultivated wheat diversity.

In Arabidopsis, the UV receptor UVR8 is functionally connected to DNA methylase DRM2. Through this interaction, UV light prevents DRM2 association with chromatin, suppressing DNA methylation and the associated transcriptional changes.

The authors apply state-of-the-art genomic approaches to characterize a novel late blight resistance gene in a wild Solanaceae. This gene, when expressed in cultivated potato, confers a broad and robust resistance to many Phytophthora infestans isolates.

The kinase WEE1 regulates replication stress responses by directly phosphorylating cell cycle driver CDKs. Now, WEE1 is found to regulate CDKs via an indirect pathway involving the E3 ligase FBL17 and CDK inhibitors, a mechanism probably shared between plants and humans.

Sphingolipid desaturases can modify membrane lipids and change cold tolerance. Two of these enzymes have the same function in Arabidopsis and moss, but their evolutionary origins are different.