Phosphite (Phi) and phosphate (Pi) share the same root uptake system, but Phi acts as a biostimulant that modulates plant growth and disease resistance in a species‑ and Pi‑dependent manner. In Arabidopsis, Phi induces hypersensitive‑like cell death and enhances resistance to Plectosphaerella cucumerina, while in rice it counteracts Pi‑induced susceptibility to Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium fujikuroi, accompanied by extensive transcriptional reprogramming.

A comprehensive multi‑environment trial of 437 maize testcross hybrids derived from 38 MLN‑tolerant lines and 29 testers identified additive genetic effects as the primary driver of grain yield, disease resistance, and drought tolerance. Strong general combining ability and specific combining ability patterns were uncovered, with top hybrids delivering up to 5.75 t ha⁻¹ under MLN pressure while maintaining high performance under optimum and drought conditions. The study provides a framework for selecting elite parents and exploiting both additive and non‑additive effects to develop resilient maize hybrids for sub‑Saharan Africa.

The authors compiled and standardized published data on Rubisco dark inhibition for 157 flowering plant species, categorizing them into four inhibition levels and analyzing phylogenetic trends. Their meta‑analysis reveals a complex, uneven distribution of inhibition across taxa, suggesting underlying chloroplast microenvironment drivers and providing a new resource for future photosynthesis improvement efforts.

The study identifies Arabidopsis HSFA1 transcription factors as critical regulators of wound‑induced callus formation and shoot regeneration, showing that loss of HSFA1 impairs, while overexpression enhances, cellular reprogramming. Time‑series RNA‑seq and ChIP‑seq reveal HSFA1 directly activates key reprogramming genes (WIND1, PLT3, ZAT6), and its activity is modulated by SIZ1‑mediated SUMOylation.

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 examines how the SnRK1 catalytic subunit KIN10 integrates carbon availability with root growth regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Loss of KIN10 reduces glucose‑induced inhibition of root elongation and triggers widespread transcriptional reprogramming of metabolic and hormonal pathways, notably affecting auxin and jasmonate signaling under sucrose supplementation. These findings highlight KIN10 as a central hub linking energy status to developmental and environmental cues in roots.

The authors generated a comprehensive SUMO Cell Atlas for Arabidopsis roots, mapping the expression and subcellular localization of all SUMO proteins and proteases across different tissue types. They discovered that stress‑induced SUMO conjugation is primarily controlled by tissue‑specific regulation of the SUMO E2 ligase, and that distinct root tissues employ unique protease combinations in response to salt, osmotic, and biotic stresses, revealing how SUMOylation orchestrates root development and stress adaptation.

The study identifies specific lysine residues where the Arabidopsis transcription factor AtTCP8 is covalently modified by SUMO, showing that mutation of these sites abolishes sumoylation and impairs the protein's ability to rescue a tcp8 brassinosteroid signaling defect and activate target promoters. Parallel experiments reveal that class I TCP orthologs in the moss Physcomitrium patens are also sumoylated, suggesting a conserved post‑translational regulatory mechanism across vascular and non‑vascular plants.