The study created a system that blocks root‑mediated signaling between wheat varieties in a varietal mixture and used transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling to reveal that root chemical interactions drive reduced susceptibility to Septoria tritici blotch, with phenolic compounds emerging as key mediators. Disruption of these root signals eliminates both the disease resistance phenotype and the associated molecular reprogramming.

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 presents an optimized Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for bread wheat that incorporates a GRF4‑GIF1 fusion to enhance regeneration and achieve genotype‑independent transformation across multiple cultivars. The approach consistently improves transformation efficiency while limiting pleiotropic effects, offering a versatile platform for functional genomics and gene editing in wheat.

The study performed comparative gene expression profiling across four rice accessions—from shoot apical meristem to primordia stage P5—to delineate developmental and photosynthetic transitions in leaf development. By integrating differential expression and gene regulatory network analyses, the authors identified stage-specific regulatory events and key transcription factors, such as RDD1, ARID2, and ERF3, especially in the wild rice Oryza australiensis, offering a comprehensive framework for optimizing leaf function.

The study functionally characterizes three tomato CNR/FWL proteins (SlFWL2, SlFWL4, SlFWL5) and demonstrates that SlFWL5 localizes to plasmodesmata, where it regulates leaf size and morphology by promoting cell expansion likely through cell‑to‑cell communication. Gain‑ and loss‑of‑function transgenic tomato lines reveal that SlFWL5 is a key regulator of organ growth via modulation of plasmodesmatal signaling.

The study constructs a ~1‑million‑cell single‑nuclei transcriptome atlas of Arabidopsis leaves to reveal that drought stress accelerates transcriptional programs associated with maturation and aging, thereby limiting leaf growth in proportion to stress intensity. Targeted upregulation of FERRIC REDUCTION OXIDASE 6 in mesophyll cells partially rescues leaf growth under drought, demonstrating the functional relevance of these transcriptional changes.