The authors applied semi‑supervised deep‑learning to super‑resolution images of modern and fossil grass pollen, training convolutional neural networks to extract abstract morphological features. These features were used to quantify past grass community diversity and C3:C4 ratios in a 25,000‑year lake‑sediment record, revealing a marked diversity loss during the last glacial and a gradual decline of C4 grasses in the Holocene.

The authors introduce AdaPoinTr, a geometry-aware transformer that predicts the alpha‑shape of coniferous tree crowns from incomplete terrestrial or mobile laser‑scanning point clouds, focusing on crown reconstruction rather than full tree completion. Trained on synthetically generated partial crowns, the model consistently improves crown shape similarity and reduces height estimation bias across three diverse forest datasets, providing a cost‑effective solution for enhanced 3D forest structural monitoring.

The study examined leaf pavement cell shape complexity across a natural European aspen (Populus tremula) population, using GWAS to pinpoint the transcription factor MYB305a as a regulator of cell geometry. Functional validation showed that MYB305a expression is induced by drought and contributes to shape simplification, with cell complexity negatively correlated with water-use efficiency and climatic variables of the genotypes' origin.

A genome‑wide association study of 187 bread wheat genotypes identified 812 significant loci linked to 25 spectral vegetation indices under rainfed drought conditions, revealing a major QTL hotspot on chromosome 2A that accounts for up to 20% of variance in greenness and pigment traits. Candidate gene analysis at this hotspot uncovered stress‑responsive genes, demonstrating that vegetation indices are heritable digital phenotypes useful for selection and genetic analysis of drought resilience.

Using a forward genetic screen of 284 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions, the study identified extensive natural variation in root endodermal suberin and pinpointed the previously unknown gene SUBER GENE1 (SBG1) as a key regulator. GWAS and protein interaction analyses revealed that SBG1 controls suberin deposition by binding type‑one protein phosphatases (TOPPs), with disruption of this interaction or TOPP loss‑of‑function altering suberin levels, linking the pathway to ABA signaling.

The study combined high-throughput image-based phenotyping with genome-wide association studies to uncover the genetic architecture of tolerance to the spittlebug Aeneolamia varia in 339 interspecific Urochloa hybrids. Six robust QTL were identified for plant damage traits, explaining up to 21.5% of variance, and candidate genes linked to hormone signaling, oxidative stress, and cell‑wall modification were highlighted, providing markers for breeding.

The study investigates how the timing of the vegetative phase change (VPC) in Arabidopsis thaliana influences drought adaptation, revealing strong genotype-by-environment interactions that create stage-specific fitness tradeoffs. Genotypes from warmer, drier Iberian climates transition earlier, and genome-wide association mapping identifies loci linked to VPC timing and drought response, with several candidates validated using T‑DNA insertion lines.

The study assessed how well common deep learning models (ResNet, EfficientNet, Inception, MobileNet) generalize across different tomato pest and disease image datasets. While models performed well on the dataset they were trained on, they suffered substantial accuracy drops when applied to other datasets, indicating that architectural changes alone cannot overcome dataset variability. The results highlight the necessity for more diverse, representative training data to improve real-world deployment of PPD diagnostic tools.

The study demonstrates that hyperspectral imaging can non‑destructively differentiate active nitrogen‑fixing root nodules from non‑fixing nodules and root tissue based on distinct spectral signatures. By integrating deep‑learning models, the authors created an automated nodule counting pipeline that works across multiple legume species and growth conditions, eliminating labor‑intensive manual counting and reliably detecting nodules within dense root systems.

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.