The study assessed 17 morphological, biochemical, and salt‑stress tolerance traits in 19 maize (Zea mays) landrace accessions from northern Argentina, revealing substantial variation both within and among accessions. Redundancy analysis linked phenotypic variation to the altitude of the collection sites, underscoring the potential of these landraces as sources of diverse biochemical and stress‑related traits for breeding.

The study characterizes the chloroplast‑localized protein AT4G33780 in Arabidopsis thaliana using CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and overexpression lines, revealing tissue‑specific expression and context‑dependent effects on seed germination, seedling growth, vegetative development, and root responses to nickel stress. Integrated transcriptomic (RNA‑seq) and untargeted metabolomic analyses show extensive transcriptional reprogramming—especially of cell‑wall genes—and altered central energy metabolism, indicating AT4G33780 coordinates metabolic state with developmental regulation rather than controlling single pathways.

The study characterizes a radiation‑induced root‑suppressed (Rs) mutant in tomato that displays dwarfism and pleiotropic defects in leaves, flowers, and fruits. Metabolite profiling and rescue with H2S donors implicate disrupted sulfur metabolism, and whole‑genome sequencing identifies promoter mutations in two root‑meristem‑specific sulfotransferase genes as likely contributors to the root phenotype.

The study shows that nitrogen deficiency markedly elevates the exudation of the triterpenoid Solanoeclepin A (SolA) from tomato roots, a process that requires non‑sterile soil and involves the rhizosphere microbiota. Transient silencing of two candidate biosynthetic genes (CYP749A19 and CYP749A20) reduced SolA levels and impaired recruitment of beneficial Massilia spp., which promote plant growth under nitrogen limitation, indicating that SolA acts as a microbe‑mediated recruitment signal that was co‑opted by cyst nematodes.

The study maps the in vivo proximity interactome of Arabidopsis SKP1-LIKE 1 (ASK1) under acute abscisic acid (ABA) signaling and prolonged drought using TurboID-based proximity labeling and quantitative proteomics, revealing condition-specific networks that include both canonical SCF modules and diverse noncanonical partners. Overexpression of ASK1 shifts proteome composition toward drought‑protective and ABA‑responsive proteins while repressing immune and ROS‑scavenging pathways, highlighting ASK1 as a hub that integrates SCF‑dependent and independent pathways to reprogram transcription, translation, and proteostasis during stress adaptation.

Sixteen upland rice varieties were evaluated under three irrigation regimes (100%, 70%, and 50% field capacity) with additional six‑day water withholding to simulate moderate and severe drought. Yield losses ranged from 35% to 78% depending on stress level, and varieties Dawk Kha, Khao/Sai, and Dawk Pa‑yawm showed the greatest stability, suggesting they are promising for breeding drought‑resilient upland rice.

The study examined how dual‑purpose hemp (Cannabis sativa) adjusts to different phosphate levels, showing that flower biomass is maintained unless phosphate is completely removed. Integrated physiological measurements and transcriptomic profiling revealed that phosphate is reallocated to flowers via glycolytic bypasses and organic phosphate release, while key regulatory genes followed expected patterns but did not suppress uptake at high phosphate, leading to nitrate depletion that limits growth.

The study tests whether heavy‑metal stress contributed to maize domestication by exposing teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) and the Palomero toluqueno landrace to sublethal copper and cadmium, then analysing genetic diversity, selection signatures, and transcriptomic responses of three chromosome‑5 heavy‑metal response genes (ZmHMA1, ZmHMA7, ZmSKUs5). Results reveal strong positive selection on these genes, heavy‑metal‑induced phenotypes resembling modern maize, and up‑regulation of Tb1, supporting a role for volcanic‑derived metal stress in early maize evolution.

The study used untargeted metabolomics and QTL mapping in a tomato recombinant inbred line population to characterize root exudate composition and identify genetic loci controlling specific metabolites. It reveals domestication-driven changes in exudate profiles and links metabolic QTLs with previously reported microbial QTLs, suggesting a genetic basis for shaping the root microbiome.

The study identifies MtFTb1 and MtFTb2 as essential, redundant regulators of long‑day flowering in the legume Medicago truncatula, demonstrating that they are required for up‑regulating MtFTa1 under vernalised long‑day conditions. Using CRISPR/Cas9‑generated single and double mutants, the authors show that double mutants are specifically delayed in flowering under long days while retaining vernalization responsiveness, and transcriptomic analyses reveal that MtFTb1/2 activate MADS‑box genes and other flowering regulators.