The study investigates how the timing of the vegetative phase change (VPC) in Arabidopsis thaliana influences drought adaptation, revealing strong genotype-by-environment interactions that create stage-specific fitness tradeoffs. Genotypes from warmer, drier Iberian climates transition earlier, and genome-wide association mapping identifies loci linked to VPC timing and drought response, with several candidates validated using T‑DNA insertion lines.

The researchers created tomato lines overexpressing the autophagy gene SlATG8f and evaluated their performance under high-temperature stress. qRT‑PCR and physiological measurements revealed that SlATG8f overexpression enhances expression of autophagy‑related and heat‑shock protein genes, accelerates fruit ripening, and improves fruit quality under heat stress.

The study identifies an autophagy pathway that degrades plasma membrane-derived clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) during hyperosmotic stress, helping maintain membrane tension as cell volume decreases. Using live imaging and correlative microscopy, the authors show that the TPLATE complex subunits AtEH1/Pan1 and AtEH2/Pan1 act as selective autophagy receptors by directly binding ATG8, thereby removing excess membrane under drought or salt conditions.

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 investigates autophagy’s protective role against cadmium stress in Arabidopsis thaliana by comparing wild-type, atg5 and atg7 autophagy-deficient mutants, and ATG5/ATG7 overexpression lines. Cadmium exposure triggered autophagy, shown by ATG8a-PE accumulation, GFP-ATG8a fluorescence and ATG gene up-regulation, with atg5 mutants displaying heightened Cd sensitivity and disrupted metal ion homeostasis, whereas overexpression had limited impact. Genotype-specific differences between Col-0 and Ws backgrounds were also observed.

The study introduces a native‑condition method combining cell fractionation and immuno‑isolation to purify autophagic compartments from Arabidopsis, followed by proteomic and lipidomic characterisation of the isolated phagophore membranes. Proteomic profiling identified candidate proteins linked to autophagy, membrane remodeling, vesicular trafficking and lipid metabolism, while lipidomics revealed a predominance of glycerophospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol, defining the unique composition of plant phagophores.

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 used multi‑season phenotyping for iron, zinc, and protein content together with whole‑genome re‑sequencing of a groundnut mini‑core collection to conduct a genome‑wide association study, identifying numerous marker‑trait associations and candidate genes linked to nutrient homeostasis. SNP‑based KASP markers were designed for nine loci, of which three showed polymorphism and are ready for deployment in genomics‑assisted breeding for nutrient‑rich groundnut varieties.

The study identifies the Arabidopsis phospholipases LCAT3 and LCAT4 as essential components that hydrolyze membranes of autophagic bodies within the vacuole, a critical step for autophagy completion. Double mutants lacking both enzymes accumulate autophagic bodies and display diminished autophagic activity, while in vivo reconstitution shows LCAT3 initiates membrane hydrolysis, facilitating LCAT4’s function.