Phosphite (Phi) and phosphate (Pi) share the same root uptake system, but Phi acts as a biostimulant that modulates plant growth and disease resistance in a species‑ and Pi‑dependent manner. In Arabidopsis, Phi induces hypersensitive‑like cell death and enhances resistance to Plectosphaerella cucumerina, while in rice it counteracts Pi‑induced susceptibility to Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium fujikuroi, accompanied by extensive transcriptional reprogramming.

The study generated a dataset of 420 sgRNAs targeting promoters, exons, and introns of 137 tomato genes in protoplasts, linking editing efficiency to chromatin accessibility, genomic context, and sequence features. Open chromatin sites showed higher editing rates, while transcriptional activity had little effect, and a subset of guides produced near‑complete editing with microhomology‑mediated deletions. Human‑trained prediction models performed poorly, highlighting the need for plant‑specific guide design tools.

The study demonstrates that the plastid chaperone CLPC2, but not its paralogue CLPC1, is essential for Arabidopsis responsiveness to microbial volatile compounds and for normal seed and seedling development. Loss of CLPC2 alters the chloroplast proteome, affecting proteins linked to growth, photosynthesis, and embryogenesis, while overexpression of CLPC2 mimics CLPC1 deficiency, highlighting distinct functional roles within the CLP protease complex.

The study examines how ectopic accumulation of methionine in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, driven by a deregulated AtCGS transgene under a seed‑specific promoter, reshapes metabolism, gene expression, and DNA methylation. High‑methionine lines exhibit increased amino acids and sugars, activation of stress‑hormone pathways, and reduced expression of DNA methyltransferases, while low‑methionine lines show heightened non‑CG methylation without major transcriptional changes. Integrated transcriptomic and methylomic analyses reveal a feedback loop linking sulfur‑carbon metabolism, stress adaptation, and epigenetic regulation.

The study examined short‑term and transannual drought memory in cambium tissues of two Populus genotypes and four epitypes with modified DNA‑methylation machinery, revealing persistent hormone, transcript, and methylation changes one week after stress relief. Trees previously stressed in Year 1 displayed distinct physiological and molecular responses to a second drought in Year 2, indicating long‑term memory linked to stable CG‑context DNA methylation, with genotype‑dependent differences in plasticity and stability. These findings position the cambium as a reservoir for epigenetic stress memory and suggest exploitable epigenetic variation for tree breeding under drought.

The study identifies and functionally characterizes an acetyl‑CoA:monolignol transferase gene in Populus, showing that its overexpression elevates acetate incorporation into lignin without harming plant growth. Elevated lignin acetylation correlates with gene expression levels and markedly improves biomass pretreatability for biofuel production.

The study compared physiological and transcriptomic responses of poplar trees colonized by the ectomycorrhizal fungi Paxillus involutus or Cenococcum geophilum under normal, drought, and recovery conditions. Cenococcum-colonized plants showed constitutive up‑regulation of heat‑shock proteins, galactinol synthase, and aquaporins and maintained water status and photosynthesis during severe drought, whereas Paxillus colonization promoted growth and nitrogen‑use efficiency and enabled rapid recovery through drought‑induced leaf shedding. These contrasting strategies illustrate species‑specific positions on the growth‑defense trade‑off in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis.

The study examined electrophysiological responses of young poplar trees to controlled stem bending and root pressurization, identifying a distinct gradual potential (GP) whose amplitude and propagation are modulated by stimulus speed and intensity. Results indicate that mechanical stress generates a transient hydraulic pressure wave that triggers the GP, suggesting a hydraulic‑electrical coupling mechanism that encodes detailed mechanical information for adaptive responses to wind.

The study integrates genome, transcriptome, and chromatin accessibility data from 380 soybean accessions to dissect the genetic and regulatory basis of symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF). Using GWAS, TWAS, eQTL mapping, and ATAC-seq, the authors identify key loci, co‑expression modules, and regulatory elements, and validate the circadian clock gene GmLHY1b as a negative regulator of nodulation via CRISPR and CUT&Tag. These resources illuminate SNF networks and provide a foundation for soybean improvement.

The study shows that the SnRK1 catalytic subunit KIN10 directs tissue-specific growth‑defense programs in Arabidopsis thaliana by reshaping transcriptomes. kin10 knockout mutants exhibit altered root transcription, reduced root growth, and weakened defense against Pseudomonas syringae, whereas KIN10 overexpression activates shoot defense pathways, increasing ROS and salicylic acid signaling at the cost of growth.