CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of the vacuolar invertase gene (StVInv) in potato enhanced drought resilience, with mutants maintaining higher stomatal conductance, transpiration, and photosynthetic efficiency, leading to improved agronomic water-use efficiency and biomass under water limitation. Metabolomic profiling showed accumulation of galactinol and raffinose, while ABA levels were reduced, indicating altered osmoprotective and hormonal responses that support sustained growth during drought.

The study demonstrates that subfamily I ethylene receptors form the core ethylene‑sensing module and act epistatically over subfamily II receptors, uniquely possessing Ca2+‑permeable channel activity that drives ethylene‑induced cytosolic calcium influx. This reveals a mechanistic link whereby subfamily I receptors integrate hormone perception with calcium signaling in plants.

The study uncovers how arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi induce lateral root formation in maize by activating ethylene‑responsive transcription factors (ERFs) that regulate pericycle cell division and reshape flavonoid metabolism, lowering inhibitory flavonols. It also shows that the rhizobacterium Massilia collaborates with AM fungi, degrading flavonoids and supplying auxin, thereby creating an integrated ethylene‑flavonoid‑microbe signaling network that can be harnessed to improve nutrient uptake and crop sustainability.

The study engineered Tobacco rattle virus vectors incorporating distinct RNA secondary structures as mobility factors to improve guide RNA delivery to plant meristems. Using Nicotiana benthamiana plants expressing Cas9, optimal virus constructs were identified that generated both somatic and heritable edits, and these constructs were successfully applied to edit the emerging oilseed crop pennycress (Thlaspi arvense).

The study performed a meta‑transcriptomic analysis of over twenty drought versus control experiments in Vitis vinifera and two hybrid rootstocks, identifying a core set of 4,617 drought‑responsive genes. Using transcription factor binding motif enrichment and random‑forest machine learning, gene regulatory networks were built, revealing key regulators such as ABF2, MYB30A, and a novel HMG‑box protein. These regulators and network hierarchies provide candidate targets for breeding and biotechnological improvement of grapevine drought tolerance.

The authors introduce the ENABLE(R) Gene Editing in planta toolkit, a streamlined two‑step cloning system for creating CRISPR/Cas9 knockout vectors suitable for transient or stable transformation. Validation was performed in Oryza sativa protoplasts and Arabidopsis thaliana plants, and the toolkit includes low‑cost protocols aimed at facilitating adoption in the Global South.

The authors created a fast‑cycling, isogenic barley line (GP‑rapid) by introgressing the wild‑type Ppd‑H1 allele from Igri into the Golden Promise cultivar and performing two backcrosses to limit the donor genome, achieving a 25% reduction in generation time under speed‑breeding conditions while retaining high transformation efficiency. CRISPR/Cas9‑mediated editing of Ppd‑H1 showed regeneration and transformation rates comparable to the original Golden Promise, establishing GP‑rapid as a rapid platform for transgenic and gene‑edited barley research.

The study reveals that the Arabidopsis O-GlcNAc transferase SEC is essential for timely ABA‑induced stomatal closure and drought tolerance, with sec-5 mutants showing delayed closure and increased water loss, while SEC overexpression enhances responsiveness. SEC influences guard‑cell microtubule remodeling, as loss of SEC impairs microtubule reorganization and SEC directly interacts with tubulin α‑4, suggesting tubulin as a target of O‑GlcNAcylation.

The study shows that inoculation with the non‑diazotrophic bacterium Enterobacter sp. SA187 significantly improves Arabidopsis thaliana growth under low nitrate conditions by increasing fresh weight, primary root length, and lateral root density, while enhancing nitrate accumulation and reducing shoot C:N ratios. Transcriptomic and mutant analyses reveal that these benefits depend on ethylene signaling and the activity of high‑affinity nitrate transporters NRT2.5 and NRT2.6, indicating an ethylene‑mediated, HATS‑dependent reprogramming of nitrogen uptake.

The study applied CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to Physalis peruviana to modify plant‑architecture genes and create a compact growth ideotype. This compact phenotype is intended to increase per‑plot yield and support future breeding efforts for this nutritionally valuable minor crop.