Genetius

The study reveals that the Kelch phosphatase BSU1, previously thought to act as a tyrosine phosphatase in brassinosteroid signaling, actually functions as a PP1-like serine/threonine phosphatase whose activity is inhibited by CDK-mediated phosphorylation of its C‑terminal tail. Structural analysis, mutagenesis, and genetic experiments in Arabidopsis and Marchantia demonstrate that this regulatory mechanism links BSU1 to cell‑cycle control, affecting stomatal patterning, fertility, and undifferentiated cell mass formation.

The study isolated and identified endophytic fungi from various tissues of the medicinal plants Azadirachta indica (neem) and Melia azedarach (melia) in Kenya, recovering 95 fungi from neem and 46 from melia, with a predominance of ascomycetes such as Phomopsis, Penicillium, Colletotrichum, and Preussia. Leaf tissues yielded the highest fungal richness, especially in neem, and geographic variation in dominant species was observed, highlighting the potential of these endophytes as sources of bioactive secondary metabolites.

The study presents a polyvinyl alcohol‑based microneedle (MN) platform for precise, low‑dose delivery of small molecules to plant tissues, achieving up to 3.5‑fold higher accumulation than conventional sprays. Demonstrations include fluorescent dye diffusion in tomato stems, gibberellic acid‑induced growth enhancement in tomato and phenotypic rescue of Arabidopsis ft‑10 mutants, and salicylic acid‑mediated resistance to tomato spotted wilt virus in Nicotiana benthamiana, all with minimal wounding stress.

Fendioxypyracil is a new PPO‑inhibiting herbicide that exhibits potent post‑emergence control of several major grass and broadleaf weeds, with lower IC values than the standard saflufenacil. Greenhouse studies confirmed its broad‑spectrum efficacy and enzyme assays verified PPO as its primary target, highlighting its potential for integrated weed management and resistance mitigation.

The authors have withdrawn their manuscript, indicating that substantial revisions are needed and requesting that the work not be cited.

The study reveals that Arabidopsis B4‑subgroup RAF kinases contain intrinsically disordered regions that act as direct osmosensors, condensing reversibly in response to ionic and non‑ionic hyperosmolarity. These condensates recruit subclass‑I SnRK2 kinases, enabling their activation while bypassing inhibition by A‑clade PP2C phosphatases, and the entire module can be reconstituted in E. coli or in vitro with recombinant proteins.

The study tested combined antibiotic and callose inhibitor treatments to restore phloem function and improve carbon allocation in HLB‑affected citrus. While the callose inhibitor alone boosted short‑term sugar transport and the antibiotic alone increased fruit carbon import, only the combined treatment consistently reduced callose blockage, enhanced phloem conductivity, lowered fruit abscission, and raised total fruit carbon after drop. These results indicate that targeting both pathogen load and host callose accumulation is needed to rebalance source‑sink dynamics and boost orchard productivity.

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.