Genetius

The study introduces a hybrid modeling framework that integrates a logistic ordinary differential equation with a Long Short-Term Memory neural network to form a Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) for predicting wheat plant height. Using only time and temperature as inputs, the PINN outperformed other longitudinal growth models, achieving the lowest average RMSE and reduced variability across multiple random initializations. The results suggest that embedding biological growth constraints within data‑driven models can substantially improve prediction accuracy for plant traits.

The study identifies the cysteine‑rich receptor‑like kinase CRK5 as a negative regulator of salicylic‑acid‑mediated cell death and a positive regulator of antioxidant homeostasis during dark‑induced leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. Loss‑of‑function crk5 mutants display accelerated senescence, elevated ROS and electrolyte leakage, and altered antioxidant enzyme activities, phenotypes that are rescued by suppressing SA biosynthesis or catabolism. Transcriptome analysis reveals extensive deregulation of senescence‑ and redox‑related genes, highlighting CRK5’s central role in coordinating hormonal and oxidative pathways.

The study shows that maize plants carrying autophagy-defective atg10 mutations exhibit delayed flowering and significant reductions in kernel size, weight, and number, culminating in lower grain yield. Reciprocal crossing experiments reveal that the maternal genotype, rather than the seed genotype, primarily drives the observed kernel defects, suggesting impaired nutrient remobilization from maternal tissues during seed development.

Using the bryophyte Physcomitrium patens, the study shows that loss of autophagy enhances auxin‑driven caulonemata differentiation and colony expansion under low nitrogen or imbalanced carbon/nitrogen conditions, accompanied by higher internal IAA, reduced PpPINA expression, and up‑regulated RSL transcription factors. Autophagy appears to suppress auxin‑induced differentiation during nutrient stress, acting as a hub that balances metabolic cues with hormonal signaling.

Thermopriming enhances heat stress tolerance by orchestrating protein maintenance pathways: it activates the heat shock response (HSR) via HSFA1 and the unfolded protein response (UPR) while modulating autophagy to clear damaged proteins. Unprimed seedlings cannot mount these responses, leading to proteostasis collapse, protein aggregation, and death, highlighting the primacy of HSR and protein maintenance over clearance mechanisms.

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.

Mutations in the plastid division gene PARC6 and the granule initiation gene BGC1 were combined to generate wheat plants with dramatically enlarged A-type starch granules, some exceeding 50 µm, without affecting plant growth, grain size, or overall starch content. The parc6 bgc1 double mutant was evaluated in both glasshouse and field trials, and the giant granules displayed altered viscosity and pasting temperature, offering novel functional properties for food and industrial applications.

The researchers performed a large‑scale field trial with 105 wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes inoculated by Fusarium culmorum, combining quantitative deoxynivalenol (DON) profiling and untargeted metabolomics to uncover molecular signatures of infection. Sesquiterpene‑derived metabolites tracked toxin accumulation, whereas glycosylated diterpene conjugates were enriched in low‑DON samples, indicating a potential defensive metabolic pathway.

The study demonstrates that subfamily I ethylene receptors form the core ethylene‑sensing module and act epistatically over subfamily II receptors, uniquely possessing Ca2+‑permeable channel activity that drives ethylene‑induced cytosolic calcium influx. This reveals a mechanistic link whereby subfamily I receptors integrate hormone perception with calcium signaling in plants.

The study demonstrates that FERONIA and phytochrome B physically interact with the NADPH oxidase RBOHD, and that FERONIA-mediated phosphorylation of phyB is essential for RBOHD-driven ROS production under excess light stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Additional membrane proteins CRK10 and PIP2;6 also associate with this complex, forming a plasma‑membrane assembly that integrates multiple signaling pathways to regulate stress‑induced ROS.