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 sequenced 226 finger millet‑infecting Magnaporthe oryzae isolates from East Africa, revealing two genetically distinct populations correlated with climate and differing in effector repertoires and virulence. It shows that homologous recombination between transposable elements drives effector loss, and transcript profiling identifies a subset of effectors up‑regulated in incompatible interactions, highlighting candidates for resistance breeding.

The study examined infection phenotypes and cross‑kingdom transcriptomes of the root‑knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita across nine host interactions representing six orders of flowering plants 25 days post‑infection. While host phylogeny did not predict parasitic outcomes, the nematode displayed three distinct transcriptional programmes with differential effector deployment, suggesting that host specificity arises from variable effector expression rather than a conserved gall transcriptome.

Researchers isolated a fungal pathogen from a naturally infected Rumex crispus leaf in Japan and identified it as Teratoramularia rumicicola using morphological traits and phylogenetic analysis of ITS and LSU rDNA sequences. Host range tests showed the isolate (TR4) caused disease and reduced biomass in three Rumex species but was harmless to five tested forage crops, indicating its potential as a selective bioherbicide for pasture systems.

Eighty-eight herbarium specimens of the Galapagos mistletoe Phoradendron berteroanum were measured for eight vegetative and floral traits, and univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted across altitude, island, host, and vegetation cover. Leaf size and internode length peaked at mid‑elevations while floral segment number declined with altitude, and flower number varied with host species, but no distinct island‑specific morphotypes were detected, indicating a single species responding to local environmental conditions.

The study examines how the SnRK1 catalytic subunit KIN10 integrates carbon availability with root growth regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Loss of KIN10 reduces glucose‑induced inhibition of root elongation and triggers widespread transcriptional reprogramming of metabolic and hormonal pathways, notably affecting auxin and jasmonate signaling under sucrose supplementation. These findings highlight KIN10 as a central hub linking energy status to developmental and environmental cues in roots.