Frontiers In Plant Science[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Agro-physiological responses and molecular docking evaluation of some essential oils and ascorbic acid as eco-friendly inhibitors of powdery mildew in cucumber plants.
Omar HS, Mohamed A, El-Gammal NA … +5 more , Omara RI, Ayad AA, El-Mogy MM, Williams LL, Abdeldaym EA
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368532 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Powdery mildew is a major fungal disease affecting cucumber production, often managed using synthetic fungicides with environmental and health concerns. This study investigates plant-derived essential oils...
INTRODUCTION: Powdery mildew is a major fungal disease affecting cucumber production, often managed using synthetic fungicides with environmental and health concerns. This study investigates plant-derived essential oils and ascorbic acid as eco-friendly alternatives, focusing on their effects on disease control, plant physiology, biochemical defenses, and molecular resistance mechanisms. METHODS: Two greenhouse experiments were conducted using garlic oil, cumin oil, ascorbic acid, a commercial fungicide (Topas), and an untreated control. Antifungal activity was evaluated alongside plant growth, physiological traits, and yield parameters. Oxidative stress markers (H₂O₂ and MDA), antioxidant enzyme activities (PPO and POD), and biochemical compounds (TPC, TFC, TFAA, and proline) were measured. Gene expression of defense-related markers (PR-1 and LOX-1) was analyzed using qRT-PCR. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified major bioactive compounds, and molecular docking was performed to explore potential antifungal mechanisms. RESULTS: All treatments significantly reduced powdery mildew severity and oxidative stress compared with untreated plants. Garlic oil showed the highest efficacy, followed by cumin oil and ascorbic acid. Disease severity was positively correlated with H₂O₂ and MDA levels and negatively correlated with plant growth, chlorophyll content, and yield. Garlic oil significantly enhanced plant height, biomass, leaf number, chlorophyll content, and fruit yield. These improvements were associated with increased antioxidant enzyme activities and higher levels of phenolics, flavonoids, amino acids, and proline. Gene expression analysis revealed significant upregulation of PR-1 and LOX-1, particularly in garlic and cumin oil treatments. Molecular docking supported the antifungal potential of the identified compounds through stable interactions with key fungal targets. DISCUSSION: Plant-derived essential oils, especially garlic oil, demonstrated strong antifungal activity and the ability to enhance plant defense systems at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. These findings highlight their potential as safe, sustainable alternatives to synthetic fungicides for managing powdery mildew in cucumber cultivation.
Context-dependent coordination of TOR and SnRK1 signaling under carbon and nitrogen perturbations.
Liu H, Shi H, Schwender J … +2 more , Shanklin J, Zhai Z
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368531 · Full text
Target of rapamycin (TOR) and sucrose non-fermenting 1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) are conserved regulators of plant growth and metabolism and are often portrayed as functionally antagonistic under nutrient limitati...
Target of rapamycin (TOR) and sucrose non-fermenting 1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) are conserved regulators of plant growth and metabolism and are often portrayed as functionally antagonistic under nutrient limitation. However, how this relationship operates across different nutrient contexts remains poorly defined. Here, we generated an Arabidopsis dual-reporter line that enables simultaneous monitoring of TOR and SnRK1 activities and profiled their dynamics under carbon and nitrogen perturbations. We found that TOR and SnRK1 activities overall exhibit a negative relationship during the transition from carbon starvation to carbon abundance; however, their temporal dynamics during that transition do not support a strictly inverse correlation. Under dark conditions, TOR activity is gradually repressed, while SnRK1 is initially repressed in the early hours and subsequently activated during extended darkness. During nitrogen starvation, TOR activity is progressively repressed, whereas SnRK1 is activated during early hours and then becomes repressed. , recombinant SnRK1α1 directly inhibits the activity of immunoprecipitated TOR (IP-TOR), whereas IP-TOR does not directly affect SnRK1α1 activity. Together, these results support a nutrient-dependent model in which TOR and SnRK1 are coordinated primarily by cellular metabolic status.
The CsPHL11-CsPAL2 module mediates chitooligosaccharide-induced cold tolerance in cucumber seedlings.
Meng W, Zhang L, Wang Y … +5 more , Li F, Guo M, Liu T, Zhao Z, Ye X
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368530 · Full text
Cold stress is an important abiotic stressor that significantly affects cucumber production in protected cultivation. Although chitooligosaccharide (COS) is known to enhance plant stress tolerance, the precise molecular...
Cold stress is an important abiotic stressor that significantly affects cucumber production in protected cultivation. Although chitooligosaccharide (COS) is known to enhance plant stress tolerance, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying COS-mediated cold tolerance remain incompletely understood. In this study, we identified a novel transcriptional module, CsPHL11 (PHR1-LIKE 11)-CsPAL2, and elucidated its role in regulating cold response in cucumber seedlings. Exogenous application of COS robustly enhanced cold tolerance by suppressing the increases in relative electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde levels, while promoting proline accumulation and antioxidant enzyme activities. Transcriptomic and physiological analyses revealed that COS acted as a potent elicitor, strongly inducing the expression of the MYB transcription factor under cold stress. CsPHL11 directly bound to the promoter of and activated its transcription, leading to elevated phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity. This activation facilitated the accumulation of protective secondary metabolites, particularly total phenols and flavonoids, which efficiently scavenged excessive reactive oxygen species and preserved cell membrane integrity. Conversely, silencing of either or by virus-induced gene silencing significantly impaired cold tolerance and exacerbated oxidative damage. Overall, these results uncovered a previously unrecognized CsPHL11-CsPAL2 regulatory cascade, providing new mechanistic insights into COS-mediated cold tolerance and highlighting the potential of oligosaccharides for protecting cold-sensitive horticultural crops.
Foliar application of licorice-wolfberry derived nanomaterials enhances soybean heat tolerance through maintaining reactive oxygen species homeostasis.
Liu J, Qi B, Bao L … +7 more , Mao T, Yang L, Zhang H, Wang D, Liu J, Zhan Y, Zhai Y
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368529 · Full text
High-temperature stress severely limits soybean growth and yield, particularly in regions with extreme climates such as southern Xinjiang. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms by which foliar applica...
High-temperature stress severely limits soybean growth and yield, particularly in regions with extreme climates such as southern Xinjiang. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms by which foliar application of licorice- and goji berry-derived mesoporous self-assembled nanomaterials (LW-CNs) modulates the heat tolerance of soybean seedlings. Soybean seedlings were treated via foliar spraying, and their physiological and biochemical responses were analyzed 3 days after heat stress treatment. The results indicated that LW-CNs treatment significantly improved the plant morphology of soybeans, increasing fresh weight, dry weight, leaf area, and SPAD values, while simultaneously enhancing net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance. Regarding the antioxidant system, foliar application of LW-CNs significantly increased antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, SOD: 619.5 ± 12.6 U g vs. 531.2 ± 2.0 U g; peroxidase (POD): 110.2 ± 0.5 U g vs. 71.8 ± 3.7 U g). Furthermore, LW-CNs activated the ascorbic acid-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle, significantly increasing APX and GR activities as well as GSH and AsA contents, thereby effectively maintaining reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. Regarding nitrogen metabolism, LW-CNs increased NH content and the activities of key enzymes such as GS, GOGAT, GDH, GPT, and GOT, thereby promoting nitrogen uptake and assimilation. In summary, our findings indicate that foliar application of LW-CNs during the seedling stage is an effective strategy for enhancing soybean heat tolerance and contributes to a deeper understanding of how nanobiotechnology regulates ROS.
SRW-YOLOv8n: a high-precision method for main-stem detection and clamping-point positioning of plug pepper seedlings.
Li J, Ding M, Liu H … +3 more , Xu J, Liu L, Wang J
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368528 · Full text
Precise positioning of clamping-points is the core and difficulty of realizing fully automated grafting of plug pepper seedlings. Traditional mechanical positioning methods often struggle to accommodate the morphological...
Precise positioning of clamping-points is the core and difficulty of realizing fully automated grafting of plug pepper seedlings. Traditional mechanical positioning methods often struggle to accommodate the morphological variations of pepper seedlings across an entire plug tray, resulting in large positioning errors and high clamping failure rates. To address this problem, this study develops an improved YOLOv8n-based framework for accurate detection and spatial positioning of seedling clamping points. The baseline YOLOv8n is optimized by integrating the SimAM, RFAConv and WIoU loss function to establish an enhanced SRW-YOLOv8n model. Moreover, a shielding-supporting mechanism and structured image processing strategy are adopted to suppress dense seedling interference, and depth camera calibration is applied to convert pixel coordinates into 3D spatial coordinates. Experimental results show that the SRW-YOLOv8n achieves 96.6% precision, 98.4% recall, 97.5% F1 and 97.4% mAP@0.5, outperforming the original YOLOv8n. The proposed system delivers average absolute positioning errors of 2.49 mm, 2.39 mm and 1.83 mm in the x, y and z axes, fully satisfying high-precision grafting requirements. This method provides robust spatial positioning guidance for automated pepper seedling grafting operations.
Dynamic transcriptomic responses reveal candidate defense genes against f. sp. s and Potato mop-top virus infection.
Jayasinghe SK, Moroz N, Ficklin SP … +1 more , Tanaka K
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368527 · Full text
Powdery scab, caused by f.sp. (), is persistent soilborne disease of potato. is also a vector for Potato mop-top virus (PMTV), posing another significant threat to tuber quality and marketability. Although currently a...
Powdery scab, caused by f.sp. (), is persistent soilborne disease of potato. is also a vector for Potato mop-top virus (PMTV), posing another significant threat to tuber quality and marketability. Although currently available cultivars exhibit partial resistance to both and PMTV, the genetic mechanisms of resistance remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis of resistance to and PMTV using a transcriptomics approach. Early infection time-course RNA-seq data were analyzed from three potato cultivars exhibiting differential susceptibility. Integrative analysis of differential gene expression (DGE) and gene co-expression networks (GCN) identified 80 high-confidence candidate genes associated with defense responses, comprising 52 genes associated with infection and 28 with PMTV infection. These included putative immune receptor genes such as nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins and leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs), which function as resistance (R) genes and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), respectively. Additional candidates included phytohormone-related genes and those encoding lipoxygenase (LOX), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and Bet v I family protein (PR10). These findings advance our understanding of host defense mechanisms against and PMTV and provide molecular targets for resistance breeding and genetic improvement of commercially important potato cultivars.
A coordinated network of ABA signaling, photorespiratory and proteostasis in EMS-induced maize mutant with enhanced drought resistance.
Wang X, Lu Y, Gao S … +5 more , Wang Y, Xie X, Zhang L, Tang H, Liu C
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368526 · Full text
Water deficit poses a significant constraint on maize ( L.) productivity, underscoring the need to identify novel genetic resources with enhanced resilience. Here, an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced maize mutant, ,...
Water deficit poses a significant constraint on maize ( L.) productivity, underscoring the need to identify novel genetic resources with enhanced resilience. Here, an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced maize mutant, , displayed an enhanced drought-tolerant phenotype featured by stay-green leaves and an increased survival rate. Physiological characterization indicated that this mutant maintains higher leaf water content and more stable membrane integrity under water deficit, suggesting favorable physiological adjustments associated with drought resistance. Comparative transcriptomic profiling indicated that this tolerance is mediated by the transcriptional upregulation of the biosynthetic gene 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases (N), alongside the concurrent suppression of the negative regulator clade A type 2C protein phosphatases 9 (). This signaling cascade is further linked to the activation of the antioxidant gene , leading to efficient scavenging of ROS and reduced lipid peroxidation. Crucially, metabolomic analysis uncovered a distinct metabolic reconfiguration in the mutant: contrasting with the stress-induced proteolysis observed in the wild type, the mutant exhibited preserved protein homeostasis, as evidenced by elevated soluble protein levels and suppressed accumulation of free amino acids. Furthermore, an integrated multi-omics analysis highlighted the concurrent upregulation of L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase () and Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase () genes in conjunction with glycerate accumulation, suggesting that the photorespiratory pathway serves as an adaptive energy dissipation mechanism to safeguard the photosynthetic apparatus. These findings collectively elucidate a coordinated regulatory network in that prioritizes nucleotide homeostasis, metabolic flexibility, and cellular homeostasis over passive survival, offering a valuable genetic framework for breeding climate-resilient crops.
Comparative chloroplast genome analysis of four species: structural rearrangements, gene loss, and phylogenetic relationships.
Nagar R, Patial V, Mohanpuria P … +2 more , Ms N, Choudhary S
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368525 · Full text
Fabaceae is one of the most structurally dynamic plant families for chloroplast genome evolution, particularly within the inverted repeat-lacking clade (IRLC), where the loss of one inverted repeat predisposes plastomes...
Fabaceae is one of the most structurally dynamic plant families for chloroplast genome evolution, particularly within the inverted repeat-lacking clade (IRLC), where the loss of one inverted repeat predisposes plastomes to accelerated rearrangement and gene loss. Here, we present the complete chloroplast genomes of four species, , , , and , and perform a comprehensive comparative analysis of their plastome evolution and phylogenetic relationships. All four genomes range from 124,823 to 125,437 bp, each encoding 77 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Three genes, , , and , are retained as pseudogenes in one or more species, capturing distinct stages of ongoing plastid-to-nucleus gene transfer. Whole-genome alignment revealed a complex structural rearrangement in the plastome, involving the inversion and translocation of four locally collinear blocks across a ~35.5 kb region, a pattern absent from the three collinear species. Most protein-coding genes evolve under strong purifying selection; five genes (, , , , and ) had Ka/Ks > 1, with only reaching statistical significance. Nucleotide diversity analysis identified as the most variable coding sequence, and the --CAU spacer, -UCU-, and - as the most variable intergenic regions. SSR analysis identified 101 polymorphic loci with associated primer pairs, providing resources for population-level studies. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that is not a natural group, with resolving as sister to and with maximum bootstrap support, providing strong evidence for a formal taxonomic revision of the genus.
CoNutriNet: a dual-branch architecture with DenseNet and graph-enhanced attention network for coffee nutrient deficiency classification.
P V D, R K, S VD … +3 more , R D, S AJ, K S
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368524 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Nutrient deficiencies in coffee plants significantly impact bean quality and yield, making timely detection crucial for successful cultivation. Current assessment methods rely on manual inspection, which is...
INTRODUCTION: Nutrient deficiencies in coffee plants significantly impact bean quality and yield, making timely detection crucial for successful cultivation. Current assessment methods rely on manual inspection, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming, posing challenges for large-scale field management. This approach often results in inconsistent evaluations and delayed interventions. METHODS: This study presents CoNutriNet, an automated deep learning architecture that integrates DenseNet121 with a novel Graph-Enhanced Attention Feature Network (GEAFNet) for classifying nutrient deficiencies in coffee leaves. DenseNet121 provides deep hierarchical and regional feature representation, while GEAFNet captures local, fine-grained spatial features through Inception, Ghost, and Efficient Channel Attention (ECA) modules. Furthermore, a Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) is included to model spatial dependencies and structural variations between leaf regions. Feature representations from both pathways are concatenated and refined using a Coordinate Attention (CA) module to enhance discriminative capability. RESULTS: Evaluation on the CoLeaf dataset demonstrates that CoNutriNet achieves an accuracy of 94.5%. The integration of lightweight attention mechanisms, dense connectivity, and graph-based modeling improves both performance and computational efficiency. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that CoNutriNet achieves and efficient performance in nutrient deficiency detection in coffee crops, highlighting its potential for deployment in agricultural environments to support precision farming and optimize yield.
Divergent environmental constraints shape the spatial patterns of annual gross primary productivity in China's terrestrial ecosystems.
Lei S, Zhou P, Chen H … +5 more , Yan P, Lin J, Tan Z, Huang J, Xue J
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368523 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Annual Gross Primary Productivity (AGPP) is a key indicator of terrestrial ecosystem carbon sequestration. However, its spatial variability and biome-specific controls remain poorly understood. METHODS: Her...
INTRODUCTION: Annual Gross Primary Productivity (AGPP) is a key indicator of terrestrial ecosystem carbon sequestration. However, its spatial variability and biome-specific controls remain poorly understood. METHODS: Here, we analyzed AGPP across forests, grasslands, croplands, and wetlands in China using data from 166 eddy covariance flux sites. We applied SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to quantify the relative importance of environmental variables and to disentangle their direct and indirect effects on AGPP. RESULTS: Our results revealed clear productivity patterns: forests exhibited the highest AGPP, followed by wetlands, croplands, and grasslands. In forests, AGPP was positively associated with temperature and precipitation but negatively related to high vapor pressure deficit (VPD). In grasslands, precipitation enhanced AGPP both directly and indirectly via vegetation structure (leaf area index), whereas excessive radiation constrained productivity. High soil organic carbon (SOC) was associated with lower AGPP in wetlands and croplands, likely reflecting nutrient immobilization under waterlogged conditions and the impacts of intensive agricultural management. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight biome-specific responses of AGPP to climatic conditions, soil properties, and vegetation structure, and provide insights for improving carbon cycle models and guiding targeted ecosystem management.
Mining resistance genes of soybean cyst nematode based on genome-wide association study.
Hu H, Cui Z, Wu D … +10 more , Zhang Q, Wang X, Liu Y, Kang Z, Wei X, Yi L, Wu Y, Shi H, Wei Y, Zhou X
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368522 · Full text
Soybean cyst nematode disease is one of the major threats to global soybean production, characterized by its widespread distribution, severe damage, and strong pathogenicity. Identifying and regulating key resistance gen...
Soybean cyst nematode disease is one of the major threats to global soybean production, characterized by its widespread distribution, severe damage, and strong pathogenicity. Identifying and regulating key resistance genes, as well as incorporating them into cultivated varieties through genetic transformation, represents a relatively efficient and cost-effective prevention and control strategy. From 2022 to 2023,at the Chengzi and Xiqiao experimental bases of the Chifeng Academy of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, this study utilized 206 soybean materials for resistance evaluation under two-year, four-site environmental conditions. Based on 101,549 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci derived from sequencing data, phylogenetic analysis and principal component analysis were conducted. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 19 SNP loci significantly associated with resistance to soybean cyst nematode, distributed across 11 chromosomes. Among these, four loci (Chr18_56072377, Chr08_159841, Chr15_50312327, and Chr16_32880873) were detected under multiple environmental conditions, with effect values ranging from -35.75 to 24.25.The genes associated with these loci were enriched in multiple pathways, including cell wall construction, root development, and amino acid metabolism. The disease resistance function of the candidate gene was preliminarily validated. This study addresses the gap in identifying stable resistance loci across diverse environments, advances the understanding of resistance-related metabolic regulatory mechanisms, provides new markers and gene resources for disease-resistant molecular breeding, and offers direct application value for cultivating resistant varieties adapted to local ecological conditions.
forms an extensive interaction network with proteins and two novel transcription factors in .
Zong X, Ma C, Liao B
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368521 · Full text
is the source plant for artemisinin production. Variable cultivation conditions are important factors affecting plant growth and artemisinin yield. The jasmonic acid signaling pathway is a crucial mechanism by which plan...
is the source plant for artemisinin production. Variable cultivation conditions are important factors affecting plant growth and artemisinin yield. The jasmonic acid signaling pathway is a crucial mechanism by which plants cope with stress, with the jasmonate ZIM-domain () genes playing key roles in this pathway. While the gene family in has not yet been comprehensively characterized, this study conducted an in-depth analysis of genes, including identification and molecular characteristics such as genetic variation and alternative splicing, as well as short-term expression responses to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in the LQ-9 genotype. The results showed that 18 genes were identified in the h0 haplotype, whereas 17 were identified in the h1 haplotype. A total of 967 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 267 insertion/deletion (indels) were identified across 17 pairs of alleles, and four genes showed alternative splicing events. Ten other Aa genes exhibited specific and significant induction by MeJA exclusively in old leaves. Through gene expression profiling and protein-protein interaction validation, AaJAZ8 was found to form homodimers and interact with 10 AaJAZs. Additionally, yeast two-hybrid assays suggested potential physical interactions between AaJAZ8 and both AaMYC24 and AaMYC26. This study systematically characterizes the JAZ protein family in , identified novel AaJAZ8-interacting proteins, and provides a foundation for further understanding the role of in the jasmonate signaling network.
Chromosome-level genome assembly of the Australian reveals a new subgenome type.
Marcheschi AK, Krak K, Mandák B … +4 more , Sproul J, Jarvis D, Jellen EN, Maughan PJ
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368520 · Full text
The genus comprises a diverse assemblage of diploid and polyploid species distributed worldwide, yet Australian taxa remain genomically undercharacterized. Here, we report a chromosome-level genome assembly of , an Aust...
The genus comprises a diverse assemblage of diploid and polyploid species distributed worldwide, yet Australian taxa remain genomically undercharacterized. Here, we report a chromosome-level genome assembly of , an Australian halophytic tetraploid. Using 23.6 Gb of PacBio HiFi and Hi-C data, we generated an 830.9 Mb assembly with high contiguity (scaffold N50 = 45.9 Mb), 99.2% BUSCO completeness, and near-complete chromosomal representation (n = 18). Comparative synteny, orthology, and repeat landscape analyses were performed to investigate subgenome composition, evolutionary relationships, and genome evolution. Our analyses revealed that is an allotetraploid composed of an A subgenome and a subgenome belonging to a deeply divergent G/H-like lineage that we designate as a novel "I" genome, showing pronounced structural divergence relative to the G and H subgenomes. Both subgenomes form sister groups to other members of their respective clades and exhibit extended branch lengths, consistent with an independent polyploidization event relative to . Repeat landscape analyses demonstrated that genome size differences between species are largely driven by differential LTR retrotransposon accumulation, with distinct temporal and compositional dynamics across subgenomes. Comparative read-mapping of the Australian octoploid further indicated predominant A and I ancestry (putative AAAAIIII), suggesting that an ancestral A-I genomic combination may underlie diversification of in Australia.
FgMob1 is involved in mitotic exit and regulates the development, abiotic stress response, and pathogenicity of .
Luo Z, Xu Q, Wu X … +6 more , Mao X, Amin U, Abubakar YS, Zheng W, Wang Z, Zheng H
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368519 · Full text
is a plant pathogenic fungus that causes wheat scab. This pathogen is distributed worldwide and produces deoxynivalenol, which significantly affects humans and animals. Mob1 belongs to the MOB (Mps One Binder) family, wh...
is a plant pathogenic fungus that causes wheat scab. This pathogen is distributed worldwide and produces deoxynivalenol, which significantly affects humans and animals. Mob1 belongs to the MOB (Mps One Binder) family, whose members are present in a wide variety of eukaryotes, and is a core component of the MEN (mitotic exit network) pathway, regulating the mitotic exit process in yeast. However, the roles of Mob1 in pathogenic fungi remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of FgMob1 in the development and pathogenicity of . Functional analyses showed that FgMob1 is important for vegetative growth, conidiation, ascospore formation, DON production, and pathogenicity. Subcellular localization results revealed that FgMob1 localizes to the spindle pole bodies. Furthermore, the average number of nuclei was significantly increased in the hyphae and conidia of the deletion mutant, suggesting that FgMob1 is involved in MEN. Additionally, FgMob1 plays a significant role in the response to abiotic stress, deletion of the gene affected sensitivity to cell wall, plasma membrane and oxidative stresses. In summary, this study demonstrates that FgMob1 is involved in MEN and is required for vegetative growth, asexual and sexual development, abiotic stress response, and pathogenicity in .
Optimization of controlled-release fertilizer and urea ratio to increase maize yield by improving dry matter accumulation and translocation in black soil.
Yin C, Feng L, Liu X … +6 more , Li Y, Shen X, Fu G, Zhao J, Tian L, Li Q
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368518 · Full text
Nitrogen is the principal mineral nutrient limiting maize yield formation and effective nitrogen management is thus key for maximizing yield. However, conventional urea releases nutrients rapidly and the supply of nutrie...
Nitrogen is the principal mineral nutrient limiting maize yield formation and effective nitrogen management is thus key for maximizing yield. However, conventional urea releases nutrients rapidly and the supply of nutrients is often mismatched with crop demand, leading to early-stage nutrient loss and late-stage nitrogen deficiency. Therefore, reasonable nitrogen management is a key measure for increasing maize yield. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different ratios of controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) and urea on changes in the accumulation, distribution, and translocation of dry matter across the entire growth period of maize to optimize nitrogen management, yield, and maize production efficiency. A two-year field experiment (2023-2024) was performed to test the effects of different CRF-N to urea-N ratios [1:0 (N10, controlled-release fertilizer), 3:7 (N37), 5:5 (N55), 7:3 (N73), and 0:1 (N01, conventional urea), no N (N0) as control] on dry matter accumulation, distribution, translocation and yield. The results showed that dry matter accumulation followed a typical sigmoidal ("S-shaped") trajectory. The dry matter accumulation advantage of N73 (70% CRF) treatment was most significant after the V6 stage, and dry matter accumulation at R6 increased by 14.58% and 10.33% compared with that in N10 treatment in 2023 and 2024, respectively. With the progress of growth period, the distribution of dry matter among organs was changed, and N73 treatment effectively promoted dry matter allocation to the ear. Logistic equation fitting indicated that N73 treatment moderately delayed the time of the maximum dry matter accumulation rate ( ), sustained a relatively high maximum dry matter accumulation rate ( ), and extended the active growth period (). In addition, N73 treatment increased both pre-anthesis dry matter remobilization (DMR) and post-anthesis assimilation (DMA), enhanced the contribution of dry matter accumulation to grain at post-anthesis (DMAC) and maize yield. In summary, a 7:3 CRF:urea application ratio optimizes maize dry matter accumulation and partitioning and coordinates pre-anthesis reserve remobilization with post-anthesis photosynthetic assimilation, and ultimately increased maize yield. Our findings have implications for optimizing nitrogen management, enhancing maize yield, and improving the efficiency of maize production. These results indicate that in the black soil region of Northeast China, a mixture of 70% controlled-release fertilizer and 30% urea is an effective strategy for promoting dry matter accumulation and transport, and for increasing yield of maize.
Whole transcriptome sequencing from : implications on metabolic pathway analysis and regulation.
Devi ML, Devi KK, Basanti K … +1 more , Das S
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368517 · Full text
, a deciduous aromatic shrub has been utilized by traditional healers for treatment of various ailments. Elucidation of the transcriptome data and expression studies of the putative biosynthetic pathway gene(s) of berber...
, a deciduous aromatic shrub has been utilized by traditional healers for treatment of various ailments. Elucidation of the transcriptome data and expression studies of the putative biosynthetic pathway gene(s) of berberine and sanguinarine production in leaf, stem, and fruit at different seasons and identification of transcription factor families involved in the biosynthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids was established in the present study. The assembled transcripts were clustered into 44254, 46402 and 46521 unigenes and a total of 32118, 27777 and 19754 CDS were predicted from unigenes in fruit, leaf and stem samples respectively. Using MISA 5576 SSRs were identified from fruit, leaf and stem samples, out of which a total of 1877 SSRs with 150 flanking regions were predicted. Putative biosynthetic pathway genes like , , , , , and were significantly expressed in the three samples of the plant in different seasons and at different level. Transcription factor analysis along with correlation matrix predicted abundant families like family (4010), followed by related family (3010), (2760), (2662), (2526), and (2302) to be the regulators along with WRKY. The association analysis of the metabolome and the assembled transcriptome from will go a long way in re-engineering of the species by AI assisted priming. The TFs would enable artificial intelligence-based designing of efficient minipromoters for enhancing the production of the target compounds in a more efficient and predictable manner.
Genotype by light quality interaction on the growth and development of quinoa () and the crop response to salinity.
Gordillo-Romero M, Torres ML, Jaramillo Román V … +4 more , Dávila D, Morales-Acuña R, Torres AF, Carvalho SD
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42368516 · Full text
Quinoa ( Willd.) is a highly nutritious crop with remarkable tolerance to drought and salinity, making it a promising model for developing resilient crops. In model plant species, photoreceptors have been shown to mediat...
Quinoa ( Willd.) is a highly nutritious crop with remarkable tolerance to drought and salinity, making it a promising model for developing resilient crops. In model plant species, photoreceptors have been shown to mediate abiotic stress responses. Although quinoa's tolerance mechanisms have been extensively investigated, the influence of light on its growth and stress responses remains largely unexplored. This study evaluated the effects of broad-spectrum white light supplemented with narrow-bandwidth light on quinoa vegetative development under non-saline and moderate salinity conditions. Four genotypes were tested: two commercial varieties and two local Ecuadorian landraces. Light quality influenced physiological responses in a genotype-dependent manner. Supplemental far-red light promoted greater plant height under both control and salt conditions. Supplemental red light enhanced biomass accumulation under control conditions but not under salinity, suggesting that red light-mediated growth promotion may be constrained by higher salinity. Conversely, supplemental blue light mitigated the negative effects of salinity on growth, indicating a potential role as a positive mediator for salt tolerance in the species. The presence of salt altered several light-driven responses, supporting an interaction between responses to light and salt stress signaling. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating light-related variables into quinoa stress physiology research which could ultimately provide breeding insights to enhance crop resilience through targeted photoreceptor breeding.
Identification of candidate genes involved in root gall formation during early infection of in .
Xue Y, Guan W, Qian F … +3 more , Cai G, Zhang C, Wu X
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359421 · Full text
Clubroot disease, caused by , is one of the major constraints in rapeseed production. Breeding disease-resistant cultivars is the best way to control this devastating disease. However, breeding reliable resistant germpla...
Clubroot disease, caused by , is one of the major constraints in rapeseed production. Breeding disease-resistant cultivars is the best way to control this devastating disease. However, breeding reliable resistant germplasm and genes is limited. Inactivation of susceptible genes has been shown to be a new and effective strategy for developing resistant crops. Therefore, we aimed to screen key candidate susceptible genes in this study. Firstly, we established a stable, high-throughput visualization method for identifying gall formation at the early stage of infection. At 14 days post-inoculation (dpi), the earliest time point with a clear record of scorable root swelling, remarkable variations in the speed of gall formation were observed among 85 genotypes. Secondly, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed to identify genes involved in gall development. Three and two consecutive significant peaks were detected at 14 and 21 dpi, respectively. Thirdly, comparative transcriptomic analysis was conducted between 2AF195 and 2AF058 at 7 and 14 dpi; these two materials exhibit contrasting speeds of gall development. Gene clustering analysis revealed two opposite expression patterns at 14 dpi. One pattern comprised 1,383 genes downregulated in 2AF195 but upregulated in 2AF058, which were significantly enriched in 10 KEGG pathways, including Environmental Information Processing and Plant-pathogen interaction, and involved core repressors JAZ8/10 in the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway, as well as nucleotide-binding site (NBS) protein-encoding genes. The opposite pattern consisted of 79 genes upregulated in 2AF195 but downregulated in 2AF058, which were enriched in an additional 10 KEGG pathways, predominantly related to Carbohydrate Metabolism and the Ubiquitin System. These genes were functionally annotated mainly as pectin methylesterases, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases (XTHs), and lignin biosynthesis-related enzymes. These findings demonstrated that distinct regulatory networks exist in different susceptible rapeseed genotypes. Finally, through the combined analysis of haplotype and transcriptome data, we co-localized and identified the candidate gene , a nodulin-related gene belonging to the MtN21 transporter family. These results provide a theoretical basis for developing novel disease-resistant materials by editing the key susceptibility genes involved in root gall formation. The candidate genes identified in this study are the most promising targets for this purpose.
Nitrogen supply mitigates heat-driven potato yield loss by sustaining radiation use efficiency and dry matter partitioning to tubers.
He Y, Li C, Si J … +2 more , Zhang L, Zhou Z
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359420 · Full text
Heat episodes increasingly constrain potato ( L.) productivity, yet how nitrogen (N) status modulates heat-induced limitations in canopy function, radiation use efficiency (), and source-sink allocation remains insuffici...
Heat episodes increasingly constrain potato ( L.) productivity, yet how nitrogen (N) status modulates heat-induced limitations in canopy function, radiation use efficiency (), and source-sink allocation remains insufficiently resolved. We conducted a pot experiment in controlled climate chambers using two temperature regimes (control, T0; heat stress, T1) combined with three N rates (0, 50 and 150 kg ha¹; N0, N1 and N2) in a split-plot design. Compared with T0, heat stress significantly raised canopy temperature, reduced chlorophyll status (), and decreased by 15.4%, and restricted the translocation of photoassimilates from shoots to tubers, which resulted in a 42.1% decline in tuber dry weight at harvest. Crucially, while heat stress drove a 31.9% reduction in under N-deficient conditions (N0), this penalty was effectively neutralized under high N (N2). Furthermore, sufficient N supply alleviated the heat-induced restriction on dry-matter translocation, reducing the biomass fraction retained in shoots from a 6.9% excess at N0 to only 3.9% at N2, thereby facilitating more effective dry matter allocation to tubers under thermal stress. Consequently, heat-induced tuber yield loss was alleviated by N, with dry weight reductions declining from 55% (N0) to 33% (N2). Overall, sufficient N supply mitigated heat-induced yield loss in potato primarily by sustaining and dry matter partitioning to tubers during bulking, providing physiological insight into how N status supports tuber yield formation under heat stress.
Genome-wide identification of the ABC gene family in sweet potato and its expression profiles in response to iron, aluminum, zinc, and copper stresses.
Gao F, Lin Y, Zhao J … +5 more , Shahid M, Khan L, Li Y, Zhou X, Si C
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359419 · Full text
ATP-binding cassette () transporters constitute one of the largest gene families in plants. These encoded transmembrane proteins rely on energy provided by ATP hydrolysis to facilitate the directional transport of divers...
ATP-binding cassette () transporters constitute one of the largest gene families in plants. These encoded transmembrane proteins rely on energy provided by ATP hydrolysis to facilitate the directional transport of diverse substrates, such as heavy metal (HM) ions, secondary metabolites, and phytohormones, playing a pivotal role in plant responses to HM stress. In this study, a systematic identification and expression analysis of the gene family in sweet potato () was conducted at the whole-genome level. We comprehensively characterized the physicochemical properties, structural features, chromosomal distribution, and tissue-specific expression patterns of genes. Furthermore, their expression profiles under iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) stress were evaluated using RT-qPCR. The results demonstrated that most genes exhibited significant differential expression under HM stress. Notably, was significantly upregulated under all four metal treatments (Fe, Al, Zn, and Cu) and showed high homology with phytochelatin transporters in and . This suggests that may participate in HM detoxification by mediating vacuolar sequestration. By elucidating the expression patterns of the family under HM stress, this study identifies key candidate genes for breeding sweet potato varieties with enhanced HM tolerance.
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