The authors used a bottom‑up thermodynamic modelling framework to investigate how plants decode calcium signals, starting from Ca2+ binding to EF‑hand proteins and extending to higher‑order decoding modules. They identified six universal Ca2+-decoding modules that can explain variations in calcium sensitivity among kinases and provide a theoretical basis for interpreting calcium signal amplitude and frequency in plant cells.

The study examined how Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) infection reshapes root-associated bacterial and fungal communities in two Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes. TuMV markedly reduced bacterial diversity and altered community composition in a genotype‑specific manner, while fungal communities stayed stable; bacterial co‑occurrence networks later recovered and even increased in complexity, highlighting microbial resilience. These findings underscore virus‑driven selective filtering of bacterial root microbiota and the role of host genotype in mediating microbiome responses to viral stress.

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 examined how the bioinoculant Trichoderma afroharzianum T22 influences Pisum sativum growth under iron-sufficient versus iron-deficient conditions, finding pronounced benefits—enhanced photosynthesis, Fe/N accumulation, and stress‑related gene expression—only during iron deficiency. RNA‑seq revealed distinct gene expression patterns tied to symbiosis, iron transport, and redox pathways, and microbiome profiling showed T22 reshapes the root bacterial community under deficiency, suggesting context‑dependent mutualism.

Seed treatment with melatonin markedly improved root biomass, nodulation, nitrogen balance, and yield in three peanut genotypes, particularly Kainong 308. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed genotype‑ and compartment‑specific reshaping of bacterial communities, with enrichment of key Proteobacteria and more complex co‑occurrence networks that correlated with enhanced plant traits. These results highlight melatonin’s dual function as a plant bio‑stimulant and microbiome modulator.

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.

The study examined how plant‑derived benzoxazinoid metabolites influence interactions among root‑associated bacterial strains and between these bacteria and their plant host. Using both simple pairwise assays and more complex multi‑organism setups, the authors found that these chemicals modulate bacterial‑bacterial and bacterial‑plant interactions, altering plant defense, immunity, and sugar transport especially when bacterial inocula are present. The work highlights the role of the soil chemical legacy in shaping holobiont dynamics and demonstrates the utility of combining reductionist and holistic experimental approaches.

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.