Pre-zygotic interspecific incompatibility prevents hybridization between species limiting interbreeding strategies for crop improvement using wild relatives. The Brassica rapa female self-incompatibil...

The canonical mechanism by which the phytohormone auxin regulates transcription has been one of the cornerstones of plant signaling. The recent unexpected discovery of cyclic AMP (cAMP) as a second messenger in this pathway has revised its foundations while leaving many open questions and gaps in our understanding; these will be discussed in this forum article.

In flowering plants, DNA–FD–14-3-3 recruits FT to the florigen activation complex both through DNA–FT interactions and by reducing liquid phase condensation of FD protein, which promotes dimerization,...

eRUBY is a powerful visual reporter combining a feedback-insensitive TyrA arogenate dehydrogenase (ADHα) gene with original RUBY structure, and substantial

Crop domestication has revolutionized food production but increased agriculture’s reliance on fertilizers and pesticides. We investigate differences in the rhizosphere microbiome functions of wild and domesticated rice, focusing on nitrogen (N) cycling genes. Shotgun metagenomics and real-time PCR reveal a higher abundance of N-fixing genes in the wild rice rhizosphere microbiomes. Validation through transplanting rhizosphere microbiome suspensions shows the highest nitrogenase activity in soils with wild rice suspensions, regardless of planted rice type. Domesticated rice, however, exhibits an increased number of genes associated with nitrous oxide (N2O) production. Measurements of N2O emissions in soils with wild and domesticated rice are significantly higher in soil with domesticated rice compared to wild rice. Comparative root metabolomics between wild and domesticated rice further show that wild rice root exudates positively correlate with the frequency and abundance of microbial N-fixing genes, as indicated by metagenomic and qPCR, respectively. To confirm, we add wild and domesticated rice root metabolites to black soil, and qPCR shows that wild rice exudates maximize microbial N-fixing gene abundances and nitrogenase activity. Collectively, these findings suggest that rice domestication negatively impacts N-fixing bacteria and enriches bacteria that produce the greenhouse gas N2O, highlighting the environmental trade-offs associated with crop domestication.

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