The study examined drought tolerance across nine provenances of the conifer Pinus nigra using high‑throughput phenotyping combined with metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses under controlled soil‑drying conditions. Drought tolerance, measured by the decline in Fv/Fm, varied among provenances but was not linked to a climatic gradient and was independent of growth, with tolerant provenances showing distinct flavonoid and diterpene profiles and provenance‑specific gene expression patterns. Integrating phenotypic and molecular data revealed metabolic signatures underlying drought adaptation in this non‑model conifer.

The study examined how the bioinoculant Trichoderma afroharzianum T22 influences Pisum sativum growth under iron-sufficient versus iron-deficient conditions, finding pronounced benefits—enhanced photosynthesis, Fe/N accumulation, and stress‑related gene expression—only during iron deficiency. RNA‑seq revealed distinct gene expression patterns tied to symbiosis, iron transport, and redox pathways, and microbiome profiling showed T22 reshapes the root bacterial community under deficiency, suggesting context‑dependent mutualism.

The study characterizes tissue-specific elimination of B chromosomes in Sorghum purpureosericeum during embryo development, identifying 28 candidate genes linked to this process. Integrated in situ visualization, genome sequencing, and transcriptomic analyses reveal that the B chromosome originates from multiple A chromosomes, harbors unique repeats, and expresses divergent kinetochore components that likely mediate its selective removal.

The study evaluated whether integrating genomic, transcriptomic, and drone-derived phenomic data improves prediction of 129 maize traits across nine environments, using both linear (rrBLUP) and nonlinear (SVR) models. Multi-omics models consistently outperformed single-omics models, with transcriptomic data especially enhancing cross‑environment predictions and capturing genotype‑by‑environment interactions. The results highlight the added value of combining transcriptomics and phenomics with genotypes for more accurate and generalizable trait prediction in maize.

Phytoplasma infection in sesame (Sesamum indicum) triggers tissue-specific alterations in gene expression and metabolite composition, with floral organs adopting leaf-like traits and distinct changes in porphyrin, brassinosteroid, and phenylpropanoid pathways. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, supported by biochemical, histological, and qRT-PCR assays, reveal differential stress and secondary metabolite responses between infected leaves and flowers.

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 examined how prior light‑acclimation influences the fitness and rapid photoprotective reprogramming of Chlamydomonas during transitions between low and high diurnal light intensities. While high‑light‑acclimated cells struggled to grow and complete the cell cycle after shifting to low light, low‑light‑acclimated cells quickly remodeled thylakoid ultrastructure, enhanced photoprotective quenching, and altered photosystem protein levels, recovering chloroplast function within a single day. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling revealed swift induction of stress‑response genes, indicating high flexibility in diurnal light acclimation.

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.