The study demonstrates that infiltrating Nicotiana benthamiana leaves with specific nopaline-type Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains dramatically increases local glandular trichome density within 15 days, an effect linked to the bacterial trans-zeatin synthase (tzs) gene that produces the cytokine trans‑zeatin. This simple Agrobacterium‑mediated approach enables direct comparison of high‑density trichome regions with adjacent isogenic tissue on the same leaf.

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.

Infiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3101 carrying the pMP90 Ti plasmid triggers de novo formation of capitate glandular trichomes and elevates acyl‑sugar production, an effect absent with other strains. The responsible factor is the trans‑zeatin synthase (tzs) gene on pMP90, and exogenous application of cytokinins (trans‑zeatin or benzylaminopurine) alone can reproduce trichome induction, linking cytokinin signaling to trichome development. The study highlights that Agrobacterium-mediated transient assays can have unintended developmental and biochemical impacts, recommending strain testing to mitigate such effects.

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 systematically examines sources of variability in Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana, analyzing a large dataset of 1,915 plants collected over three years. It demonstrates that normalization methods must be validated for each experimental context and provides a statistical model and power analysis framework to determine appropriate sample sizes for detecting specific effect sizes, offering practical guidelines to improve reproducibility in quantitative plant and synthetic biology studies.

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 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 study combined high-throughput image-based phenotyping with genome-wide association studies to uncover the genetic architecture of tolerance to the spittlebug Aeneolamia varia in 339 interspecific Urochloa hybrids. Six robust QTL were identified for plant damage traits, explaining up to 21.5% of variance, and candidate genes linked to hormone signaling, oxidative stress, and cell‑wall modification were highlighted, providing markers for breeding.

The study examines how ectopic accumulation of methionine in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, driven by a deregulated AtCGS transgene under a seed‑specific promoter, reshapes metabolism, gene expression, and DNA methylation. High‑methionine lines exhibit increased amino acids and sugars, activation of stress‑hormone pathways, and reduced expression of DNA methyltransferases, while low‑methionine lines show heightened non‑CG methylation without major transcriptional changes. Integrated transcriptomic and methylomic analyses reveal a feedback loop linking sulfur‑carbon metabolism, stress adaptation, and epigenetic regulation.

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.