The study presents an optimized Agrobacterium-mediated transformation toolkit for Sorghum bicolor that achieves up to 95.7% editing efficiency using CRISPR/Cas9 targeting the SbPDS gene, and demonstrates comparable performance with a PAM‑broadened SpRY variant. This platform enables multiplex genome editing and is positioned for integration of advanced tools such as prime and base editors to accelerate sorghum breeding.

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 complete chloroplast genome of the endemic fruit species Dillenia philippinensis was sequenced, assembled, and annotated, revealing a 161,591‑bp quadripartite structure with 113 unique genes. Comparative analyses identified simple sequence repeats, codon usage patterns, and phylogenetic placement close to D. suffroticosa, providing a genomic resource for future breeding and conservation efforts.

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 evaluated a transgenic soybean line (VPZ-34A) expressing Arabidopsis VDE, PsbS, and ZEP for combined improvements in light‑use efficiency and carbon assimilation under ambient and elevated CO2 in a FACE experiment. While VPZ‑34A showed enhanced maximum quantum efficiency of PSII under fluctuating light, it did not increase carbon assimilation efficiency or yield, and transcriptome analysis revealed limited gene expression changes. The results suggest that VPZ‑mediated photosynthetic gains are insufficient to boost productivity under elevated CO2.

The study examined DNA methylation dynamics in Arabidopsis thaliana shoots and roots under heat, phosphate deficiency, and combined stress using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, small RNA‑seq, and RNA‑seq. Distinct stress‑specific methylation patterns were identified, with heat and combined stress causing CHH hypomethylation, phosphate deficiency causing hyper‑ and hypomethylation in shoots and roots respectively, and the combined stress exhibiting a unique signature independent of additive effects. Methylation changes were concentrated in transposable elements and regulatory regions, implicating RdDM and CMT2 pathways and suggesting a role in chromatin accessibility rather than direct transcriptional control.

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 reveals that heat tolerance of meiotic division in Arabidopsis thaliana depends on sustained translation of cell‑cycle genes mediated by the protein TAM, which forms specialized condensates under high temperature. Natural variation was used to identify heat‑sensitive and heat‑tolerant TAM alleles, and boosting TAM translation with complementary peptides rescued heat‑induced meiotic defects, highlighting a potential mechanism driving polyploidisation under climate stress.

Integrating physiological, transcriptomic, and cellular analyses, the study shows that olive fruit abscission zones undergo lignification, alkalization, and extensive cell‑wall remodeling during natural maturation and after ethephon treatment. A set of 733 FAZ‑specific genes, including β‑1,3‑glucanases, pectate lyases, and pH‑regulating transporters, were identified, and increased glucanase activity together with reduced plasmodesmata callose suggest enhanced intercellular communication facilitates organ detachment in this non‑climacteric fruit.

The study investigates the molecular basis of heat‑tolerant pollen tube growth in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by comparing thermotolerant and sensitive cultivars. Using live imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics, and genetics, the authors identified the Rapid Alkalinization Factor (RALF) signaling pathway as a key regulator of pollen tube integrity under high temperature, with loss of a specific RALF peptide enhancing tube integrity in a thermotolerant cultivar.