Genetius

The study assessed three savory essential‑oil formulations for controlling early blight caused by Alternaria solani in tomato, finding that formulation CC2020 most effectively reduced disease severity in vitro and in greenhouse trials. CC2020 also helped maintain fruit vitamin C levels and lowered fungal melanin production, indicating dual benefits for disease management and fruit quality.

The authors created combinatorial mutants of group II GH3s, DAO1/DAO2, and key UGTs to dissect indole‑3‑acetic acid (IAA) inactivation pathways, using ^13C6‑IAA feeding to trace metabolic flux. Their results show that DAO enzymes act downstream of GH3s and that UGT‑mediated IAA glycosylation plays a larger role in regulating IAA levels and development than previously recognized, while residual GH3 activity and unidentified pathways may contribute to phenotypes such as early flowering via FLC down‑regulation.

Using 13C‑isotope labeling combined with DNP‑enhanced solid‑state NMR, the study directly tracked phenylalanine‑ and tyrosine‑derived carbon incorporation into lignin in Brachypodium distachyon. Phenylalanine predominates in canonical guaiacyl and syringyl lignins, whereas tyrosine enriches hydroxyphenyl lignin and hydroxycinnamates, and loss of p‑coumarate 3‑hydroxylase impairs phenylalanine‑derived lignification while tyrosine‑derived lignin persists, revealing a precursor‑specific compensatory pathway. These findings highlight precursor‑dependent control of lignin composition and validate the methodological framework for dissecting lignin biosynthesis.

Using a co‑transcriptomic approach, the study examined interactions between the generalist necrotroph Botrytis cinerea and two closely related legumes, common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), across 72 pathogen isolates. While lesion development was mainly driven by pathogen genetic variation, both host and pathogen displayed extensive host‑by‑isolate transcriptional plasticity, with host‑specific expression of cell‑wall modifying enzymes and divergent co‑expression networks. The findings reveal that pervasive gene‑expression flexibility in both partners enables similar disease outcomes despite divergent molecular responses.

The study introduces a deep learning geometry-aware transformer (AdaPoinTr) that reconstructs the outer crown shape of coniferous trees from incomplete terrestrial or mobile laser‑scanned point clouds by predicting the crown's alpha‑shape. Trained on synthetic partial crowns, the model improves crown shape similarity and reduces tree height estimation bias across diverse forest datasets, offering a practical solution for accurate 3D forest metrics from limited data.

This study investigates the gene regulatory network (GRN) governing flowering time in the allotetraploid crop Brassica napus using comparative transcriptomics with Arabidopsis thaliana. While most orthologous gene pairs show conserved expression dynamics, several flowering‑time genes, including SOC1 paralogues, exhibit regulatory divergence, especially under cold stress, indicating subfunctionalisation. The overall network topology remains similar to Arabidopsis, reflecting retention of paralogues that preserve regulatory structure.

Using quantitative live‑cell imaging in Arabidopsis thaliana zygotes, the authors show that plastids migrate apically in two stages: initially together with the nucleus along F‑actin, then via microtubule‑driven movement after nuclear migration slows, resulting in unequal plastid inheritance. Plastid migration is independent of starch but requires a fertilization‑activated MAP kinase pathway, revealing a spatiotemporal regulatory mechanism at the onset of plant development.

The study used narrow‑band laser diode lighting versus broad‑band LEDs to test how spectral bandwidth, independent of peak wavelength, affects photosynthesis, canopy architecture, leaf senescence, and growth in tobacco, lettuce, and Arabidopsis. Narrow‑band blue light reduced assimilation and biomass but produced more upright canopies and delayed lower‑leaf senescence, while combined narrow‑band red + blue light improved photosynthetic performance and yielded higher fresh weight and healthier physiology than broad‑band light. These results show that controlling bandwidth can decouple traditional sun‑shade leaf traits and optimize indoor horticultural productivity.

The study shows that volatile organic compounds emitted by different fungi can independently trigger distinct systemic metabolic responses in Populus x canescens roots and leaves, even without physical contact. Pathogen, saprotroph, and ectomycorrhizal fungal VOCs each induced characteristic metabolic reprogramming, indicating that trees can preemptively adjust physiology based on fungal lifestyle cues.

The study demonstrates that in the marine diatom Chaetoceros gracilis, the peripheral light‑harvesting complex protein Lhcf2 is essential for energy‑dependent nonphotochemical quenching (qE) by enabling stable accumulation and complex formation of the canonical NPQ effector Lhcx1. Knockout of Lhcf2 eliminates qE without affecting the proton gradient or diatoxanthin levels, revealing a cooperative assembly mechanism between distinct light‑harvesting complexes.