The study characterizes a novel variegated barley mutant whose phenotype results from duplicate dominant epistasis, representing the first documented digenic control in chloroplast-deficient mutants. Whole-genome resequencing mapped the causative loci Var4 and Var5 to chromosomes 2H and 3H, identifying an NBR1-like autophagy receptor and a DNAJ-domain protein as candidate genes involved in chloroplast proteostasis. The authors propose that combined mild proteostasis defects from each mutation exceed a functional threshold, disrupting early chloroplast development while allowing later recovery.

The study cloned the resistance genes Rmo2 and Rwt7 from barley and wheat, revealing them as orthologous tandem kinase proteins (TKPs) with an N‑terminal heavy metal‑associated (HMA) domain. Domain‑swapping experiments indicated that the HMA domain dictates effector specificity, supporting a model of TKP diversification into paralogs and orthologs that recognize distinct pathogen effectors.

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.

Four barley genotypes were examined under simultaneous Fusarium culmorum infection and drought, revealing genotype-dependent Fusarium Head Blight severity and largely additive transcriptomic responses dominated by drought. Co‑expression and hormone profiling linked ABA and auxin to stress‑specific gene modules, and a multiple linear regression model accurately predicted combined‑stress gene expression from single‑stress data, suggesting modular regulation.

The study used ft1 knock‑out mutants in barley to demonstrate that the florigen homolog FT1 links vegetative and reproductive meristem development with plant metabolism, influencing source‑sink dynamics, longevity, and fertility. Loss of FT1 caused altered leaf and inflorescence determinacy, increased organ size but reduced fertility, and a transcriptional shift toward photosynthetic and carbon‑catabolism genes, while soluble sugar and starch accumulated in inflorescences, indicating diminished sink strength.

The study examined nitrogen use strategies in the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by comparing growth on ammonium, nitrate, and urea, finding similar molar nitrogen utilization efficiency under saturating conditions. Rapid nitrogen uptake and storage were demonstrated through pulse experiments, and source‑specific transcriptome analysis revealed distinct regulation of assimilation pathways and transporters, supporting a model of flexible nitrogen acquisition and storage.

The study investigates the role of the chromatin regulator MpSWI3, a core subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. A promoter mutation disrupts male gametangiophore development and spermiogenesis, causing enhanced vegetative propagation, and transcriptomic analysis reveals that MpSWI3 regulates genes controlling reproductive initiation, sperm function, and asexual reproduction, highlighting its ancient epigenetic role in balancing vegetative and reproductive phases.

The study benchmarked several sampling approaches for simultaneous profiling of root exudates and rhizosphere microbiota in soil-grown barley, revealing consistent exudate chemistry across methods but variation in root morphology and nitrogen exudation. High‑throughput amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR showed protocol‑specific impacts on microbial composition, yet most rhizosphere-enriched microbes were captured by all approaches. The authors conclude that different protocols provide comparable integrated data, though methodological differences must be aligned with experimental objectives.

The study investigates how maternal environmental conditions, specifically temperature and light intensity, influence seed longevity in eight Arabidopsis thaliana natural accessions. Seeds developed under higher temperature (27 °C) and high light showed increased longevity, with transcriptome analysis of the Bor-4 accession revealing dynamic changes in stored mRNAs, including upregulation of antioxidant defenses and raffinose family oligosaccharides. These findings highlight the genotype‑dependent modulation of seed traits by the maternal environment.

The study examined how allelic variation at three barley flowering-time genes (PPD‑H1, ELF3, and PHYC) influences photoperiod response parameters, revealing that ELF3 reduces intrinsic earliness and PhyC‑e lowers photoperiod sensitivity. By testing Near Isogenic Lines and HEB‑25 lines under 16–24 h photoperiods, the authors identified a 20‑h threshold for PPD‑H1 lines and proposed reduced photoperiod regimes (20 h and 16 h) for energy‑efficient speed breeding.