The study introduces a hybrid modeling framework that integrates a logistic ordinary differential equation with a Long Short-Term Memory neural network to form a Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) for predicting wheat plant height. Using only time and temperature as inputs, the PINN outperformed other longitudinal growth models, achieving the lowest average RMSE and reduced variability across multiple random initializations. The results suggest that embedding biological growth constraints within data‑driven models can substantially improve prediction accuracy for plant traits.

The authors used a bottom‑up thermodynamic modelling framework to investigate how plants decode calcium signals, starting from Ca2+ binding to EF‑hand proteins and extending to higher‑order decoding modules. They identified six universal Ca2+-decoding modules that can explain variations in calcium sensitivity among kinases and provide a theoretical basis for interpreting calcium signal amplitude and frequency in plant cells.

The study combined high‑throughput enhanced yeast one‑hybrid (eY1H) screening with DNA Affinity Purification sequencing (DAP‑seq) to map transcription factor–promoter interactions for PSY and PSYR genes in Arabidopsis, revealing a network of 1,207 interactions and identifying CRF10 as a strong growth‑repressing regulator. CRISPR/Cas9‑mediated editing of a CRF10‑binding motif in the PSYR3 promoter (and adjacent TOP3A exon) disrupted this repression, resulting in enhanced root growth comparable to crf10 mutants.

The study demonstrates that a rapid increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ is the primary and sufficient signal mediating auxin‑induced root growth inhibition in Arabidopsis. Using live imaging, microfluidics, and optogenetic control of Ca²⁺ influx, the authors show that blocking Ca²⁺ entry prevents growth responses, while light‑triggered Ca²⁺ influx from the apoplast or ER mimics inhibition, indicating that diverse stimuli converge on a Ca²⁺‑dependent mechanism.

The study uses an optogenetic ChannelRhodopsin 2 variant (XXM2.0) to generate defined cytosolic Ca²⁺ transients in Arabidopsis root cells, revealing that these Ca²⁺ signatures suppress auxin‑induced membrane depolarization, Ca²⁺ spikes, and auxin‑responsive transcription, leading to reversible inhibition of cell division and elongation. This demonstrates that optogenetically imposed Ca²⁺ signals act as dynamic regulators of auxin sensitivity in roots.

The study reexamines wheat–black-grass competition, showing that black-grass gains advantage by superior winter root growth rather than early establishment. Controlled and field experiments reveal significant variation among wheat and barley cultivars in suppressing weed growth and tolerating its presence, with suppression correlating with crop root development, suggesting that breeding for enhanced root and winter growth could improve weed suppression.

The study demonstrates that lead (Pb) disrupts conserved cellular and developmental processes in both Arabid thaliana and Zea mays by elevating auxin levels, which suppresses cell cycle progression, inhibits root growth, and modifies root gravitropic responses. These findings highlight key mechanisms underlying plant tolerance to toxic metals, informing future engineering of metal‑resistant crops.

The study investigates inter‑individual transcriptional variability of the high‑affinity nitrate transporter gene NRT2.1 in genetically identical plants, showing that expression differences arise in seedlings, persist over the plant’s life, but are not inherited, and that these differences correlate with root growth and nitrate uptake. Additionally, genes linked to photosynthesis are co‑expressed with NRT2.1, suggesting a coordinated carbon/nitrate balance established early in development.