The study systematically identified heterosis-associated genes and metabolites in rice, functionally validated three genes influencing seedling length, and integrated these molecules into network modules to explain heterosis variance. Predominant additive and partially dominant inheritance patterns were linked to parental genomic variants and were shown to affect 17 agronomic traits in rice, as well as yield heterosis in maize and biomass heterosis in Arabidopsis. The work highlights the quantitative contribution of transcriptomic and metabolomic variation, especially in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, to hybrid vigor.

The study developed a high-throughput phenotyping platform to assess root infestation by Orobanche cumana in a diverse sunflower association mapping population and applied a dual GWAS using SNPs and k-mers to uncover resistance loci. It validated known QTLs with higher resolution, identified novel candidate genes such as leucine‑rich repeat receptor kinases, and highlighted introgressed segments from wild Helianthus species that contribute to broomrape resistance.

The study identifies the rice E2 ubiquitin‑conjugating enzyme PHO2 as a key negative regulator of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonisation under high phosphate conditions. pho2 mutants in Oryza sativa (and Nicotiana benthamiana) maintain AM fungal entry and exhibit enhanced direct and symbiotic phosphate accumulation, linked to sustained expression of AM‑related genes despite phosphate sufficiency.

The study shows that during drought, rice (Oryza sativa) downregulates nutrient acquisition and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis genes, causing the fungal partner to enter metabolic quiescence and retract hyphae, but upon re-watering the symbiosis is rapidly reactivated. This reversible dynamic suggests that plant‑fungus mutualisms are fragile under fluctuating water availability.

The study reveals that the methyl‑CpG‑binding domain protein MBD8 interacts with the histone demethylase LDL2 to facilitate removal of H3K4me1 and transcriptional repression downstream of H3K9me2 in Arabidopsis. MBD8 binds GC‑poor DNA independently of cytosine methylation and stabilizes LDL2 protein levels, indicating a broader role for MBD proteins beyond methyl‑DNA recognition.

The study employed computational approaches to characterize the SUMOylation (ULP) machinery in Asian rice (Oryza sativa), analyzing phylogenetic relationships, transcriptional patterns, and protein structures across the reference genome, a population panel, and wild relatives. Findings reveal an expansion of ULP genes in cultivated rice, suggesting selection pressure during breeding and implicating specific ULPs in biotic and abiotic stress responses, providing resources for rice improvement.

The study evaluated barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) and foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vectors for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and virus-mediated overexpression (VOX) in several Oryza sativa cultivars, finding that neither vector altered gene expression despite successful assays in wheat and extensive optimization. The lack of photobleaching with BSMV-PDS and absent GFP fluorescence with FoMV suggest intrinsic resistance mechanisms in rice, highlighting species-specific limitations of virus-enabled reverse genetics and the need for alternative vectors.

The study reports the creation and validation of a high‑density Axiom SNP array for Solanum tuberosum, based on 10X Genomics sequencing of 108 diverse clones and integration of existing Illumina markers. The array demonstrated high reproducibility and, after filtering, provided 206,616 informative markers for population structure analysis, GWAS of polyphenol oxidase activity, and genomic prediction with accuracies up to 0.86.

A genome-wide association study of 166 Iberian Arabidopsis accessions identified loci, including ABA3 and GA2ox2, that modulate the inhibitory effect of the auxin precursor indole-3-acetamide (IAM) on primary root elongation. Integrating sequence analysis, transcriptomics, 3D protein modeling, and mutant physiology revealed that IAM promotes ABA biosynthesis and signaling, uncovering a novel node of hormone crosstalk.

The study measured flower opening time and flower exposure duration (FED) in rice cultivars and performed controlled crossing experiments under short‑day and long‑day conditions, finding that when FED overlap exceeds ~20 min, cross‑pollination frequency often exceeds 60 % and can reach 100 %. These results overturn the long‑standing view that rice cross‑pollination is <2 % and highlight the need to investigate genetic factors underlying F1 sterility.