The study employed ultra large‑scale 2D clinostats to grow tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants beyond the seedling stage under simulated microgravity and upright control conditions across five sequential trials. Simulated microgravity consistently affected plant growth, but the magnitude and direction of the response varied among trials, with temperature identified as a significant co‑variant; moderate heat stress surprisingly enhanced growth under simulated microgravity. These results highlight the utility of large‑scale clinostats for dissecting interactions between environmental factors and simulated microgravity in plant development.

The study examined how DNA methylation influences cold stress priming in Arabidopsis thaliana, revealing that primed plants exhibit distinct gene expression and methylation patterns compared to non-primed plants. DNA methylation mutants, especially met1 lacking CG methylation, showed altered cold memory and misregulation of the CBF gene cluster, indicating that methylation ensures transcriptional precision during stress recall.

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 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 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 investigated metabolic responses of kale (Brassica oleracea) grown under simulated microgravity using a 2-D clinostat versus normal gravity conditions. LC‑MS data were analyzed with multivariate tools such as PCA and volcano plots to identify gravity‑related metabolic adaptations and potential molecular markers for spaceflight crop health.

Using genome‑wide association studies in Arabidopsis thaliana, the authors identified the chromatin‑associated protein CDCA7 as a trans‑regulator that specifically controls CG methylation (mCG) and TE silencing. CDCA7 and its paralog CDCA7β bind the remodeler DDM1, modulating its activity without broadly affecting non‑CG methylation or histone variant deposition, and natural variation in CDCA7 regulatory sequences correlates with local ecological adaptation.

The study demonstrates that the chromatin remodeler DDM1 is essential for biomass heterosis in Arabidopsis thaliana hybrids, as loss of DDM1 function leads to reduced rosette growth and extensive genotype‑specific transcriptomic and DNA methylation changes. Whole‑genome bisulfite sequencing revealed widespread hypomethylation in ddm1 mutants, while salicylic acid levels were found unrelated to heterosis, indicating that epigenetic divergence, rather than SA signaling, underpins hybrid vigor.

The study investigates the evolutionary shift from archegonial to embryo‑sac reproduction by analyzing transcriptomes of Ginkgo reproductive organs and related species. It reveals that the angiosperm pollen‑tube guidance module MYB98‑CRP‑ECS is active in mature Ginkgo archegonia and that, while egg cell transcription is conserved, changes in the fate of other female gametophyte cells drove the transition, providing a molecular framework for this major reproductive evolution.

A comparative physiological study of persimmon cultivars with flat (Hiratanenashi) and round (Koushimaru) fruit shapes revealed that differences in cell proliferation, cell shape, and size contribute to shape variation. Principal component analysis of elliptic Fourier descriptors tracked shape changes, while histology and transcriptome profiling identified candidate genes, including a WOX13 homeobox gene, potentially governing fruit shape development.