Whilst studies on Arabidopsis thaliana have generally been highly molecular and/or genetic in nature, most studies using A. halleri have addressed adaptation and variation in adaptive traits in the species’ natural...
Plant roots do not sit alone in the soil. In the earth you will also find various microbes. Lurking in the dirt is Rhizophagus irregularis, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus that colonises wheat. In a new study Hui Tian...
The role of fine-scale habitat heterogeneity on within-population genetic divergence is studied in North American Arabidopsis lyrata (Brassicaceae) inhabiting a sand dune landscape. Wos and Willi relate site-of-origin...
Seeds of the grass species rice (Oryza sativa) serve as the most widely consumed staple food especially in Asia. One of its major threats is Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), the causal agent of rice bacterial...
What is it that gives bamboo its rapid growth? One team has been looking for the answer not with the fastest plants, but with the slower variants to see what they lack.
Meloidogyne graminicola is responsible for production losses in rice (Oryza sativa) in Asia and Latin America. Petitot et al. assess the cytological and molecular mechanisms underlying nematode resistance identified in...
Fusarium diseases of cereals constitute economically significant constraints in cereal production systems. In this study, transcriptomic analysis using RNA-seq is combined with metabolite analysis to provide novel...
The legume family (Leguminosae) consists of approximately 17 000 species and those used as crops provide protein and carbohydrates for over 300 million people world-wide. O’Rourke et al. review how next-generation...
During growth, the fruit surface of sweet cherry, Prunus avium, expands rapidly whilst only a relatively small amount of new cuticular material is produced, often leading to the formation of microscopic cracks in the...