Frontiers In Plant Science[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
The impact of tidal regimes on the stress physiology of English oak (.
Wilfert K, Baeten S, Prinsen E … +2 more , Maris T, Schoelynck J
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359418 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Restored estuarine floodplains with an artificially controlled reduced tide (CRT) are dynamic areas created for flood protection whilst also providing habitats for estuarine wildlife. However, the reintrodu...
INTRODUCTION: Restored estuarine floodplains with an artificially controlled reduced tide (CRT) are dynamic areas created for flood protection whilst also providing habitats for estuarine wildlife. However, the reintroduction of the tide poses stressors, including salinity and waterlogged soils because of periodic flooding, on established vegetation such as English oak (). Therefore, newly opened CRT areas give the opportunity of studying the effects of flooding, salinity, and drainage, on hydrogen peroxide (HO) concentrations in plants, as a proxy for stress. METHODS: This was done on English oak samples retrieved from both field and mesocosm settings using commercially available peroxide assay kits. RESULTS: Our results indicated that HO concentrations measured in the field were affected by the time of sampling, while concentrations in the mesocosm were influenced by soil type. Flooding and salinity did not show detectable effects on H₂O₂ concentrations, either individually or in combination with soil type, within the scope of our experimental design, which had constrained statistical power to detect subtle effects. Additionally, our results did not correspond with the deterioration and mortality of English oak observed in the field and mesocosm experiments, indicating limited suitability of H₂O₂ as a standalone indicator of physiological stress under these conditions. DISCUSSION: Overall, we recommend that future studies include a broader range of indicators to assess the tree stress responses in dynamic CRT environments.
DDCANet for SiO-mediated drought regulation research: high-precision segmentation and phenotypic detection of cucumber point clouds.
Xia Y, Liu Y, Zhu S … +7 more , Liu S, Wang H, Wang S, Xu Y, Zhang Z, Wu H, Fu X
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359417 · Full text
Cucumber is a core cultivated facility vegetable in China. Drought stress at the seedling stage severely inhibits its growth and development. The regulatory mechanism and optimal application concentration of SiO nanopart...
Cucumber is a core cultivated facility vegetable in China. Drought stress at the seedling stage severely inhibits its growth and development. The regulatory mechanism and optimal application concentration of SiO nanoparticles in alleviating drought stress in cucumber seedlings remain unclear. Moreover, traditional manual measurement and classic point cloud segmentation models struggle to achieve high-throughput accurate detection of cucumber seedling phenotypes under drought stress. To address these issues, this study focused on phenotypic detection under drought stress and analysis of the regulatory effects of SiO nanoparticles. An improved compact and low-redundancy segmentation model, DDCANet, was proposed based on PointNet++-SSG. Combined with 3D point cloud technology and the Euclidean clustering algorithm, it enables automatic extraction of phenotypic parameters from cucumber seedlings treated with SiO nanoparticles under drought stress. In this study, Trailing cucumber seedlings were used as experimental materials. 3D point cloud data of cucumber seedlings were collected under treatments with different concentrations of SiO nanoparticles and PEG-simulated drought stress. A dataset containing 70 valid samples was constructed and labeled into two categories: Stem and Leaf. The core optimizations of the DDCANet model are as follows: Firstly, an Adaptive Density-Aware Feature Enhancement (ADFE) module is embedded to accurately capture point cloud density heterogeneity induced by SiO;Secondly, a Channel Attention and Normalization-enhanced SA Layer (CANL) is designed to strengthen the coupling of local and global drought-related phenotypic features. Thirdly, a Drought-Aware Hybrid Loss (DHL) function is constructed to alleviate the class imbalance of seedling stem and leaf point clouds under drought stress. Results show that the DDCANet model achieves a mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) of 89.01 ± 0.32% and a Stem IoU of 83.6 ± 0.45%, representing improvements of 6.55% and 9.6% respectively compared with the baseline PointNet++-SSG model, and a 30.5% improvement in stem segmentation accuracy compared with the classic PointNet model. It thus enables high-throughput, non-destructive detection of drought phenotypes in cucumber seedlings under SiO nanoparticle treatment. Ablation experiments verified the positive contributions of the ADFE, CANL, and DHL modules. Furthermore, instance segmentation and phenotype extraction were completed using the Euclidean clustering algorithm to analyze the drought-alleviating effects of SiO nanoparticles under PEG-simulated drought stress. Results indicate that a low concentration of 20 mg/L exhibits a weak alleviating effect, medium concentrations of 40-60 mg/L show bidirectional regulatory characteristics, and a high concentration of 100 mg/L causes negative physiological effects. The optimal application concentration is 80 mg/L, which comprehensively improves key phenotypes such as seedling height and volume under drought stress and exerts a positive regulatory effect on seedling growth under drought conditions. The DDCANet model constructed in this study provides an efficient technical tool for the accurate phenotypic detection of crop seedlings treated with SiO nanoparticles under drought stress. It clarifies the optimal application concentration of SiO nanoparticles, offers a precise concentration threshold and theoretical support for the scientific application of SiO nanoparticles in drought-stressed cultivation of protected cucumber, and establishes a novel methodological reference for the research on phenotypic regulation of crops under drought stress via nano-agricultural technology.
Whole genome identification and operational analysis of the gene family in longan and the role of in flowering regulation.
Liu Y, Sang X, Liu L … +6 more , Ren C, Zhang Z, Chen T, Li H, Jue D, Shi S
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359416 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Longan ( Lour.) is an important tropical and subtropical fruiting crop; understanding its flower formation regulatory mechanisms represents an important direction in floral growth and evolution research. The...
BACKGROUND: Longan ( Lour.) is an important tropical and subtropical fruiting crop; understanding its flower formation regulatory mechanisms represents an important direction in floral growth and evolution research. The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor family plays crucial roles in diverse physiological processes in plants, including growth, development, and stress responses. However, the roles of genes in longan flower development have not been investigated. RESULTS: We detected 126 family members in the longan genome database. The genes of longan and were further classified into 27 subfamilies. Structural analysis indicated that DlbHLH proteins were comparatively well-conserved within specific subfamilies. The results of collinearity analysis, supported by Ka/Ks (Non-synonymous substitution rate/Synonymous substitution rate) analysis, indicated that the expansion of the gene family was primarily driven by segmental duplication followed by strong purifying selection. Examination of the promoter regions of the gene family suggested that participated in the control of floral bud development. family genes exhibited diverse distinct expression profiles during the flowering processes of the varieties "Shixia" and "Sijimi" (SJ), with exhibiting a dynamic and cultivar-specific expression pattern, including a 7.49-fold reduction in expression during the critical T1-T2 phase of flower development in the SJ variety. Phenotypic observations revealed that under long-day circumstances, genetically modified plants overexpressing exhibited significantly earlier flowering than wild-type plants. Gene expression analysis showed that overexpression was associated with the altered expression of key genes in the flowering pathway, namely (), (), and (). These findings offer a basis for additional research into the regulatory mechanisms of bHLH proteins in longan flower development. CONCLUSION: Some family members play important roles in the regulation of plant flowering; may promote plant flowering in longan by regulating , , and .
Rice and shine: a review of miRNA-mediated responses to abiotic stress in , from drought to ionizing radiation.
Bordignon S, Horemans N, Kyndt T … +1 more , Duarte GT
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359415 · Full text
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 20-24 nucleotides-long small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level via directing cleavage or translational repression of complementary mRNA targets....
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 20-24 nucleotides-long small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level via directing cleavage or translational repression of complementary mRNA targets. In plants, in addition to regulating biological processes essential for proper growth and development, miRNAs are also involved in fast responses to stress. Rice () is one of the most valuable crop species, feeding over half of the global population; however, its productivity is severely affected by unfavorable environmental and climatic conditions, including drought, salinity, temperature extremes, heavy metal toxicity, and nutrient deficiencies. In this context, numerous stress-responsive miRNAs have been identified in rice, highlighting their contribution to cellular homeostasis, developmental adjustment, and stress acclimation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of miRNA biogenesis in plants and their roles in rice responses to major abiotic stresses. Special emphasis is given to miRNA-mediated regulation under genotoxic stress, particularly that induced by ionizing radiation. Overall, available evidence suggests that rice miRNA responses combine recurrent regulatory modules shared across stresses with context-dependent, stress-specific patterns, while miRNA involvement in genotoxic stress responses remains comparatively underexplored.
Mediator subunit MED25 represses ABI5-dependent activation of erucic acid biosynthetic gene in .
Li Z, Zhi S, Tang Y … +4 more , Li H, Tian M, Pu X, Wu Y
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359414 · Full text
ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 5 (ABI5) is a key regulator that represses seed germination, flowering, and seedling growth in and functions in abscisic acid (ABA) signal transduction. However, whether ABI5 is involved in oth...
ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 5 (ABI5) is a key regulator that represses seed germination, flowering, and seedling growth in and functions in abscisic acid (ABA) signal transduction. However, whether ABI5 is involved in other biological processes and its interacting partners remain largely unknown. Here, we show that , an ortholog of , positively regulates erucic acid synthesis and the transcript level of the marker gene in . Expression patterns of and overlap during specific stages of seed development, as indicated by the BnIR database, and GUS staining assays show that both genes are expressed in seeds. BnaABI5 is a bZIP transcription factor that localizes to the nucleus and activates transcription of the reporter gene . We further demonstrate that the mediator subunit BnaMED25 is involved in modulating erucic acid synthesis through interaction with BnaABI5 and . Dual-luciferase assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) indicate that BnaMED25 facilitates BnaABI5-mediated regulation of expression. Genetic experiments indicate that, compared with wild-type Col-0 and the variety "Wangxiangyou1881", the transcript level of the marker gene is increased in -overexpressing and oilseed rape, respectively. Erucic acid content in the tested seeds exhibited a corresponding trend. Taken together, these results demonstrate that BnaMED25 is involved in BnaABI5-mediated regulation of erucic acid accumulation and reveal a mechanism by which ABI5 and its recruiting factor play a significant role in long-chain fatty acid synthesis.
RubberFormer: a transformer-based detection benchmark for rubber tree powdery mildew.
Li Y, Zhu J, Zhu X … +3 more , Zhou L, Chen Q, Zhang Y
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359413 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Rubber tree powdery mildew is a major foliar disease that threatens the yield and quality of natural rubber. Its lesions are typically small, irregular, and embedded in complex backgrounds, making accurate...
INTRODUCTION: Rubber tree powdery mildew is a major foliar disease that threatens the yield and quality of natural rubber. Its lesions are typically small, irregular, and embedded in complex backgrounds, making accurate automated detection difficult. METHODS: To address this challenge, we propose RubberFormer, an end-to-end detection framework based on a refined Transformer architecture for detecting small powdery mildew lesions in complex scenarios. RubberFormer adopts MobileNetV4 as a lightweight backbone, introduces the Hierarchical Attention with Local-global Optimization (HALO) module for multiscale local-global feature fusion, incorporates the Unified Cross-Attention Network (UCAN) to enhance multidimensional feature interaction, and applies Normalized Wasserstein Distance (NWD) Loss to improve small-object localization. RESULTS: Extensive experiments were conducted on PM-Dataset-Plus, which contains 9,765 images, and PD-40, a large-scale plant disease dataset containing 80,369 images across 40 disease categories and 8 crops. RubberFormer achieved superior detection accuracy and generalization performance compared with existing methods, while maintaining computational efficiency suitable for practical agricultural monitoring. DISCUSSION: These results demonstrate that RubberFormer is effective for detecting small and irregular rubber tree powdery mildew lesions under complex conditions. The framework has practical value for rubber tree disease monitoring and provides a transferable design strategy for agricultural vision tasks involving small objects and complex backgrounds.
Whole genome-wide association study reveals genetic insights into leaf spot disease resistances and seed germination/dormancy in peanut.
Zhang J, Chamberlin K, Wang ML … +6 more , Clevenger J, Dang P, Chu Y, Holbrook C, Ozias-Akins P, Chen CY
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359412 · Full text
Peanut ( L.) is an important crop in the world, serving as a key source of edible oil and protein. Comprehensive genomic and phenotypic analyses were conducted on 87 accessions from the U.S. peanut mini-core collection u...
Peanut ( L.) is an important crop in the world, serving as a key source of edible oil and protein. Comprehensive genomic and phenotypic analyses were conducted on 87 accessions from the U.S. peanut mini-core collection using 217 Gb of high-quality resequencing data to identify the candidate genes and markers that underlie the leaf spot resistance and seed dormancy in peanuts. A total of 87,726 SNPs were identified and mapped across 20 chromosomes, revealing a higher SNP density in the B subgenome (35.55 SNPs/Mb) compared to the A subgenome (33.26 SNPs/Mb). Phylogenetic, population structure, and principal component analyses consistently partitioned the accessions into three distinct gene pools designated as Group 1, 2, and 3. Group 1, comprising primarily , included 28 genotypes; Group 2, mainly types, comprised 18 accessions; while Group 3, displaying the highest diversity, contained mixed genotypes from the other groups. Linkage disequilibrium analysis indicated an LD decay distance of approximately 63.1 kb, confirming that the marker density was sufficient for GWAS. Significant SNP associations at a suggestive threshold of p< 1.14 × 10 were identified for leaf spot, seed germination and dormancy agronomic traits. As a result, three candidate genes were identified: , homologous to ATE1, was associated with early leaf spot resistance; , a homolog of ERF34, was linked to late leaf spot resistance; and , homologous to ICE1, emerged as a central regulator affecting both germination and dormancy. These findings provide actionable targets for marker-assisted selection to enhance disease resilience and seed quality in breeding programs.
Efficient propagation protocol and genetic similarity assessment of medicinal cannabis based on photoautotrophic micropropagation.
Liang J, Wei X, Liu J … +2 more , Zhou Q, He D
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359411 · Full text
Photoautotrophic micropropagation (PAM), which employs sugar-free media and ventilated culture vessels to enhance plantlet photoautotrophic capacity and overall quality, has substantial potential to increase propagation...
Photoautotrophic micropropagation (PAM), which employs sugar-free media and ventilated culture vessels to enhance plantlet photoautotrophic capacity and overall quality, has substantial potential to increase propagation efficiency when integrated with an appropriate propagation protocol. In this study, we established a PAM propagation protocol for medicinal cannabis ( L.) using two genotypically different cultivars, 'Charlotte' and 'Auto Charlotte', and systematically evaluated the genetic similarity of plantlets across all successive batches via inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers as well as their performance after transplanting. Furthermore, a cultivar-specific logistic growth model was used to estimate annual yield and optimize the mother plant culture cycle for maximizing production. Results showed that under PAM conditions, mother plants sustained 11 batches of shoot tip harvest within a 98-d cycle. The propagation coefficients of 'Charlotte' and 'Auto Charlotte' reached 12.0 (95%CI: 11.0-13.0) and 11.3 (95%CI: 10.5-12.2), respectively. After 35 days of culture, plantlets from all batches exhibited uniform morphological and physiological traits, with rooting rates exceeding 70%. These plantlets could be directly transplanted without acclimatization, and minor growth differences between batches were eliminated by extending the culture cycle by one week. ISSR markers detected no obvious polymorphism between regenerated plantlets and their respective mother plants, with all similarity coefficients exceeding 0.90. Model simulations suggested that a 70-day culture cycle could maximize annual production, reaching a yield of 50,417-54,034 plants m. In conclusion, this study established an efficient PAM propagation protocol with high genetic similarity for the two tested medicinal cannabis cultivars, thereby providing technical support for cannabis plantlet production.
Beyond peak wavelength: spectral bandwidth of blue and red-blue laser diodes modulates photosynthesis, canopy architecture, chlorophyll maintenance, and whole-plant growth.
Li L, Sugita R, Togawa H … +2 more , Terashima I, Yamori W
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359410 · Full text
High planting densities in indoor horticulture often accelerate lower-leaf chlorophyll degradation, increasing trimming frequency, reducing effective photosynthetic area, and raising labor costs. While spectral compositi...
High planting densities in indoor horticulture often accelerate lower-leaf chlorophyll degradation, increasing trimming frequency, reducing effective photosynthetic area, and raising labor costs. While spectral composition has been widely studied, the role of spectral bandwidth, particularly when peak wavelength is identical, remains poorly understood. Here, we used laser diodes (LDs) with an extremely narrow full width at half maximum of light spectrum (FWHM) to examine how spectral bandwidth influences photosynthesis, canopy architecture, chlorophyll degradation in leaves, and plant growth under monochromatic blue light and combined red and blue (R+B) light in tobacco ( L. 'Wisconsin-38'), lettuce ( L. 'Red Fire'), and (L.) Heynh. 'Col-0'. Under monochromatic blue light, narrow-band LD blue (LD; FWHM = 1.6 nm) reduced CO assimilation rates and shoot dry weight compared with broad-band LED blue (LED; FWHM = 20.1 nm) across species. However, LED was accompanied by accelerated the chlorophyll degradation in lower leaves, whereas LD promoted more upright canopy architecture, which was associated with higher chlorophyll maintenance in lower leaves. Under combined red and blue light, LD lighting (LD) mitigated stress induced by 24-hour continuous illumination and promoted coordinated improvements in photosynthetic performance, leaf expansion, and canopy architecture. Compared with LED, these integrated responses resulted in higher shoot fresh weight and a healthier physiological state indicated by higher chlorophyll content and lower anthocyanin accumulation. However, there was no significant difference in shoot dry weight, suggesting that this growth enhancement was primarily driven by cellular water accumulation and leaf expansion rather than an absolute increase in dry matter carbon accumulation. Together, our results suggest that spectral bandwidth is an important factor associated with altered plant growth responses, even when peak wavelengths remain constant. The use of LD lighting offers the potential to modulate physiological traits traditionally linked in the classic 'sun' or 'shade' leaf syndromes, providing a localized approach to influence canopy architecture, chlorophyll maintenance, and overall plant growth. This study highlights LD lighting as powerful yet underutilized light system for optimizing canopy health and yield in indoor horticulture.
YOLO-FLBM: a lightweight and high-performance model for tomato ripeness detection in complex greenhouse environments.
Su Y, Zhang P, Li H … +3 more , Kang F, Zhao P, Wang L
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359409 · Full text
Real-time detection of tomato ripeness in complex greenhouse environments presents a significant dual challenge: the interference caused by foliage occlusion and fruit overlapping demands high detection accuracy, while t...
Real-time detection of tomato ripeness in complex greenhouse environments presents a significant dual challenge: the interference caused by foliage occlusion and fruit overlapping demands high detection accuracy, while the limited computational resources of harvesting robots necessitate model lightweighting. To address this, we propose YOLO-FLBM, a lightweight, high-performance model based on the enhanced YOLOv8s architecture. First, the backbone network was reconstructed using FasterNet to minimize redundancy, establishing a streamlined foundation for edge deployment. Second, an innovative neck architecture, designated as the LB Neck, was constructed by integrating the C2f-LS module with the BiFPN structure. Crucially, a novel Multi-scale Coordinate Dynamic Attention (MCDA) mechanism was developed. By integrating hybrid perception pooling with full-rank kernel generation, MCDA dynamically captures spatial dependencies to resolve occlusion issues. Experimental results on a custom tomato dataset demonstrated that YOLO-FLBM achieved comprehensive performance enhancements: precision, recall, mAP@50, and mAP@50-95 reached 95.2%, 91.9%, 97.4%, and 78.9%, respectively, representing improvements of 3.7%, 2.5%, 1.9%, and 1.7% over the baseline model. Meanwhile, the model's parameter count was reduced to 3.743 M, a substantial 61.9% reduction compared to the original model. These results confirm the model's efficiency and accuracy, offering a valuable reference for automated tomato harvesting robots.
Dual modulation of toxic risks and functional benefits: How traditional practices enable safe consumption of toxic Franch. in ethnic cuisine.
Gao Y, Liu W, Wang L … +4 more , Fan Z, Yang K, He L, Mo X
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359408 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: The corollas of Franch. have been used as a traditional ethnic food by the Bai nationality in Yunnan, China for centuries, with a well-preserved custom of removing the androecium and gynoecium prior to soa...
INTRODUCTION: The corollas of Franch. have been used as a traditional ethnic food by the Bai nationality in Yunnan, China for centuries, with a well-preserved custom of removing the androecium and gynoecium prior to soaking, drying, and cooking. However, the molecular basis, nutritional value, and edible safety of this long-standing practice remain largely uncharacterized, limiting the development and utilization of this characteristic plant resource. METHODS: We integrate transcriptomic, metabolomic, and comparative metabolomic analyses to systematically characterize the molecular and metabolic profiles of distinct floral organs, geographically distinct populations, and fresh versus traditionally processed edible corollas of Franch. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: 3,463 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 165 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) between corollas and androecium/gynoecium from Lijiang populations, and 3,229 DEGs and 145 DAMs from Heqing populations were identified, respectively. The flavonoid biosynthesis pathway showed the greatest divergence, with potentially risky flavonoids highly enriched in the androecium and gynoecium. Regional comparison revealed only the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway was significantly co-enriched with DEGs and DAMs between edible corollas from the two regions, with no notable differences in other edible-related functional pathways. Traditional processing stably retained flavor-related L-histidine and S-(4-Methylthiobutylthiohydroximoyl)-L-cysteine, upregulated functional components p-coumaroyl quinic acid and taxifolin, and significantly downregulated potentially harmful flavonoids including (-)-epigallocatechin and myricetin. CONCLUSION: This study systematically reveals the molecular basis of the Bai nationality's traditional edible practice of Franch., demonstrating that removing the androecium/gynoecium and traditional processing can effectively reduce edible risks while retaining flavor and functional active components. These findings provided critical scientific support for the food safety assessment.
Identification and analysis of the AP2/ERF gene family in based on pan-genome and functional characterization of .
Zhang Z, Hou Z, Zhu S … +6 more , Wei S, Li S, Xue Q, Liu W, Ding X, Niu Z
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359407 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: AP2/ERF transcription factors are key regulators of plant stress responses and developmental processes. Despite their functional significance, limited research has focused on this gene family in the medicin...
INTRODUCTION: AP2/ERF transcription factors are key regulators of plant stress responses and developmental processes. Despite their functional significance, limited research has focused on this gene family in the medicinal orchid . METHODS: Based on the pangenome data of seven individuals from different habitats, we performed a pangenome family analysis of AP2/ERF, including analyses of presence-absence variation (PAV), selection pressure, transposable elements, etc., and conducted functional validation of the screened key members. RESULTS: A total of 101, 76, 113, 123, 113, 105 and 113 AP2/ERF genes were identified in the seven individuals, respectively. PAV analysis classified the non redundant members into core (29), softcore (28), dispensable (17) and private (3) genes. Compared with , AP2/ERFs exhibited a significant evolutionary contraction, although some genes underwent duplication. Most genes experienced negative selection, while a few showed positive selection. Cold and heat stress induced differential expression patterns; genes with stable expression were predominantly core or softcore members. The candidate localized to the nucleus. Its transient expression suppressed anthocyanin accumulation in tobacco and downregulated the key enzyme gene in . DISCUSSION: Our pan genome analysis demonstrates that the AP2/ERF family in has undergone significant evolutionary contraction compared with Arabidopsis, suggesting lineage specific gene loss or rapid divergence in orchids. Despite this overall contraction, lineage specific duplications (e.g., and ) were observed, which may provide raw material for adaptive evolution. The classification into core, softcore, dispensable and private genes reveals a conserved set likely involved in essential functions, whereas variable genes may contribute to local adaptation. Ka/Ks analysis identified positive selection only in a few genes, often those with recent duplications, supporting neofunctionalization. The widespread presence of transposable elements (68.8% of members) suggests that TE insertion is a common, ongoing process that may generate regulatory diversity without being strongly counter selected. Expression profiling under temperature stress further highlighted functional divergence: cold stress induced gradual upregulation, while heat stress caused downregulation of most genes. Notably, the nuclear localized negatively regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis by suppressing expression and reducing pigment accumulation. Together, our results provide a comprehensive pan genome resource of AP2/ERFs in and identify as a candidate negative regulator of anthocyanin synthesis.
Correction: Integrated analysis of endophytic fungal communities and metabolites reveals root rot-induced disruptions in .
Zhang Y, Dou H, Fan C … +2 more , Chen X, Wei J
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359406 · Full text
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1752821.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1752821.].
Editorial: Understanding plant responses and phytoremediation strategies for arsenic toxicity.
Souri Z, Farooq MA, Vaculík M
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359405 · Full text
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Genomic insights into diversity for forage breeding in Andean livestock systems.
Bobadilla LG, Ortiz R, Castillo G … +9 more , Matias FI, Gutiérrez L, Valqui L, Carrasco-Chilón W, Díaz-Valderrama JR, Venancio TM, Alava EI, Castillo MS, Vásquez HV
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359404 · Full text
Understanding the genetic diversity of is essential for developing targeted breeding programs that can effectively support pasture-based livestock systems in the Peruvian Andean. This study assessed genomic variability...
Understanding the genetic diversity of is essential for developing targeted breeding programs that can effectively support pasture-based livestock systems in the Peruvian Andean. This study assessed genomic variability and population structure in 27 accessions from the Cajamarca region and the INIA Amazonas germplasm bank (Peru), using the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technique. DNA extracted from young leaves was sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. After bioinformatic processing, 2,070 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with heterogeneous distribution were obtained across seven chromosomes. A Principal Coordinate and an Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean analyses revealed two distinct genetic groups were identified, reflecting a complex structure shaped by gene flow and local selection. The analysis of molecular variance showed that 90% of the genetic variation occurs within populations, whereas the remaining 10% corresponds to interregional differences (PhiPT = 0.099, p < 0.006). The negative Inbreeding Coefficient (F) values (Cajamarca = -0.2312; Amazonas = -0.5489) indicate an excess of heterozygotes, a pattern typically associated with predominantly outcrossing species. Additionally, high observed heterozygosity (Ho > 0.57) points to potential hybrid vigor and indicates that these populations may maintain stable genetic equilibrium. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that Peruvian harbors a broad genetic base, shaped by historical germplasm exchange and local environmental adaptation. This diversity provides critical insights for conservation strategies and can supports breeding programs aimed at enhancing forage resilience and productivity in high-Andean ecosystems.
Dynamic monitoring of rice plant height during the early growth stage using UAV-LiDAR and GWAS analysis of growth rate.
Xu W, He F, Chen Z … +8 more , Huang G, Yang T, Bao X, Wu L, Liu W, Jiang F, Zhao J, Zhang B
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359403 · Full text
Plant height during the early growth stage of rice is a key indicator reflecting canopy establishment rate, tillering potential, and overall growth vigor, all of which critically determine final yield formation. Conventi...
Plant height during the early growth stage of rice is a key indicator reflecting canopy establishment rate, tillering potential, and overall growth vigor, all of which critically determine final yield formation. Conventional manual measurements fail to capture high-frequency, continuous, and non-destructive monitoring of plant height dynamics, limiting the understanding of early growth vigor and its genetic mechanisms. In this study, a UAV-based LiDAR system was employed to acquire canopy point clouds of 211 rice accessions across ten time points within 40 days after transplanting. High-resolution canopy height models (CHMs) were generated, and continuous plant height trajectories H(t) were reconstructed using piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation (PCHIP). The first derivative V(t) quantified growth rate dynamics and identified the timing of maximum growth (T), enabling precise differentiation of early growth patterns among geno-types. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) using a mixed linear model (MLM, Q+K) detected 604 significant SNPs, among which 33 were stably expressed across environments. Five candidate genes were identified within ±200 kb windows, mainly encoding proteins related to cell elongation, hormone signaling, and photosynthetic metabolism. The results highlight that LiDAR-based dynamic monitoring of plant height, coupled with genomic association analysis, provides a robust framework for quantifying rice early growth vigor and elucidating its molecular basis, offering valuable guidance for breeding high-vigor "early-establishing" rice cultivars.
Correction: Transcriptome-based analysis of oil accumulation pattern and key gene screening in fruits.
Su L, Cao J, Chen Y … +11 more , Li P, Chen J, Li C, Liu Q, Xiao Z, Cao H, Kuang D, Wu A, Lu Y, Zhou X, Yang Y
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359402 · Full text
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1774066.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1774066.].
Cis-regulatory elements in CAMTA-mediated stress signalling: mechanisms and prospects for CRISPR-based crop improvement.
Gain H, Banerjee J
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359401 · Full text
Enhancements in crop resilience strategies that maintain production are essential to address the challenges posed by climate change and increasing food consumption. Calcium-dependent signaling networks are essential for...
Enhancements in crop resilience strategies that maintain production are essential to address the challenges posed by climate change and increasing food consumption. Calcium-dependent signaling networks are essential for plant responses to abiotic and biotic stressors, with calmodulin-binding transcription activator (CAMTA) transcription factors serving as crucial regulators within this framework, as these factors govern gene expression through specific cis-regulatory elements located in promoter regions. Recent investigations have expanded to include CAMTA-binding motifs as the stress-responsive cis-regulatory modules across several plant species under examination. These findings indicate that CAMTA-associated cis-elements, comprising CGCG motifs and ABA-responsive regions, facilitate the integration of environmental signals that influence transcription. Cis-regulatory elements (CREs), such as promoters, enhancers, silencers, and insulators, control the exact timing and location of stress-responsive gene expression in plants. Recent breakthroughs in genome editing have enabled the direct manipulation of these cis-regulatory areas, facilitating precise control over gene expression. This work presents an overview of CAMTA structures, their interaction with promoter cis-regulatory regions, and the potential for promoter cis-element engineering to enhance agricultural performance under diverse settings. It emphasizes CRISPR-based strategies for precise CRE modifications and highlights the role of CAMTA in identifying stress-responsive regions. This establishes the foundation for the advancement of next-generation stress-resilient crops, which will ensure food security.
An optimized, rhamnolipid-containing cell-free filtrate from 8-7 exhibits broad-spectrum antifungal activity and exceptional environmental stability.
Dai LM, He LL, Deng YY … +4 more , Li LL, Liu YX, Shi YP, Cai ZY
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359400 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: The biocontrol strain 8-7 (PA8-7) produces antimicrobial metabolites, yet its application is limited by low yield and insufficiently characterized environmental stability. METHODS: Fermentation was optimiz...
INTRODUCTION: The biocontrol strain 8-7 (PA8-7) produces antimicrobial metabolites, yet its application is limited by low yield and insufficiently characterized environmental stability. METHODS: Fermentation was optimized through medium screening, single-factor experiments, and orthogonal array design. The resulting cell‑free filtrate (CFF) was evaluated for antifungal activity against 19 tropical crop pathogens, environmental stability (thermal, pH, UV, reductants, metal ions), rhamnolipid composition (TLC, HPLC‑MS, ¹H NMR), field efficacy against rubber tree powdery mildew (), and biosafety on soybean seedlings. RESULTS: The optimal medium (15 g/L acid‑hydrolyzed casein, 25 mL/L glycerol, 1 g/L MgSO₄·7H₂O, 1.5 g/L K₂HPO₄, pH 6.5) and culture conditions (50 mL/500 mL flask, 220 rpm, 10% inoculum, 36 °C, 5 days) increased antifungal activity against by 54% to 89.81%. The CFF exhibited broad‑spectrum activity against all 19 pathogens, with the highest inhibition against (94.56 ± 1.38%) and (93.87 ± 1.69%). It retained >87% activity after autoclaving (121 °C, 30 min), remained stable across pH 1-12, and tolerated UV, reductants and most metal ions. Eighteen rhamnolipid congeners (9 mono‑, 9 di‑) were identified. Field trials showed that a 10‑fold diluted CFF reduced the disease index of rubber tree powdery mildew from 23.55 to 21.11 within 7 days (73.23% control efficacy), with no phytotoxicity on soybean seedlings. CONCLUSION: The optimized CFF combines broad‑spectrum activity, exceptional stability, and field efficacy with biosafety, making it a promising low‑cost biocontrol candidate for sustainable tropical agriculture.
Optimized extraction, odor modulation, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of blue essential oil fro.
Fang T, Pang D, Li Y … +4 more , Feng X, Li Y, Zhang Y, Gao D
Front Plant Sci · 2026 · PMID 42359399 · Full text
(Besser) Turcz. ex-Verl. (Asteraceae) produces a rare blue essential oil rich in chamazulene, but its industrial application is hindered by low extraction efficiency and undesirable pungent odors. In this study, an integ...
(Besser) Turcz. ex-Verl. (Asteraceae) produces a rare blue essential oil rich in chamazulene, but its industrial application is hindered by low extraction efficiency and undesirable pungent odors. In this study, an integrated strategy combining ultrasound-assisted hydrodistillation (UAH) optimization and post-extraction odor modulation was developed to obtain a high-quality, color-stable blue essential oil with preserved bioactivity. Extraction parameters were optimized using a Box-Behnken response surface design, with optimal conditions identified as a material-to-liquid ratio of 1:13, an extraction time of 3 h 20 min, and 2% NaCl. Sensory quality was subsequently improved by silica gel adsorption (2 g, 60 °C, 60 min), which effectively reduced pungent odors without compromising blue coloration or chamazulene stability. GC-MS analysis identified 36 volatile constituents, with chamazulene accounting for 50.68% of the total composition. The blue essential oil exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with IC values of 8.71 μL mL (DPPH) and 8.86 μL mL (ABTS), outperforming H. Lév. & Vaniot yellow essential oil. Pronounced antimicrobial activity was observed against (MIC/MBC 21.16/25.94 μL mL) and (25.94/30.64 μL mL), and these activities were retained after deodorization. Stability tests indicated that chamazulene is sensitive to heat, light, and oxidative conditions. Overall, this study provides a practical and scalable approach for producing deodorized, chamazulene-rich blue essential oil, supporting its potential application in natural preservation and cosmetic formulations.
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