The authors developed a high‑throughput, semi‑automated image analysis pipeline that couples a Blackbird CNC microscopy robot with YOLO11‑based computer‑vision models to identify life stages of the two‑spotted spider mite across multiple host plants. The three‑class detection model achieved >87% precision and recall, enabling reliable fecundity measurements for resistance breeding, though mortality assessment was less accurate at high mite densities or on unseen host backgrounds.
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.
In a two-year controlled-environment experiment, diploid and tetraploid individuals of wild-type and cultivar Marshall annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) were grown under elevated CO2 (540 vs 800 ppm) and differing evapotranspiration regimes. Elevated CO2 increased total biomass by 44% across ploidy levels, and tetraploid wild-type plants matched the improved cultivar in growth and forage quality, indicating that chromosome manipulation and wild genetic resources can enhance climate resilience.
Phylogenomic challenges in polyploid-rich lineages: Insights from paralog processing and reticulation methods using the complex genus Packera (Asteraceae: Senecioneae)
Authors: Moore-Pollard, E. R., Ellestad, P., Mandel, J.
The study examined how polyploidy, hybridization, and incomplete lineage sorting affect phylogenetic reconstructions in the genus Packera, evaluating several published paralog‑processing pipelines. Results showed that the choice of orthology and paralog handling methods markedly altered tree topology, time‑calibrated phylogenies, biogeographic histories, and detection of ancient reticulation, underscoring the need for careful methodological selection alongside comprehensive taxon sampling.
The study reveals that leaf wounding in Arabidopsis triggers localized cooling and activation of cold-responsive genes, with the subsequent loss of cooling marking wound healing. It identifies CBF transcription factors as mediators of this cooling signal and introduces a computer‑vision and deep‑learning workflow to quantitatively monitor healing dynamics.
The study shows that the SnRK1 catalytic subunit KIN10 directs tissue-specific growth‑defense programs in Arabidopsis thaliana by reshaping transcriptomes. kin10 knockout mutants exhibit altered root transcription, reduced root growth, and weakened defense against Pseudomonas syringae, whereas KIN10 overexpression activates shoot defense pathways, increasing ROS and salicylic acid signaling at the cost of growth.
The Global Wheat Full Semantic Organ Segmentation (GWFSS) dataset
Authors: Wang, Z., Zenkl, R., Greche, L., De Solan, B., Bernigaud Samatan, L., Ouahid, S., Visioni, A., Robles-Zazueta, C. A., Pinto, F., Perez-Olivera, I., Reynolds, M. P., Zhu, C., Liu, S., D'argaignon, M.-P., Lopez-Lozano, R., Weiss, M., Marzougui, A., Roth, L., Dandrifosse, S., Carlier, A., Dumont, B., Mercatoris, B., Fernandez, J., Chapman, S., Najafian, K., Stavness, I., Wang, H., Guo, W., Virlet, N., Hawkesford, M., Chen, Z., David, E., Gillet, J., Irfan, K., Comar, A., Hund, A.
The Global Wheat Dataset Consortium released a comprehensive semantic segmentation dataset (GWFSS) of wheat organs across developmental stages, comprising 1,096 fully annotated images and 52,078 unannotated images from 11 institutions. Models based on DeepLabV3Plus and Segformer were trained, with Segformer achieving ≈90% mIoU for leaves and spikes but lower precision (54%) for stems, while also enabling weed exclusion and discrimination of necrotic, senescent, and residue tissues.