plant-biology

Pine wilt disease severely threatens pine forests worldwide, yet coordinated shifts in endophytic bacterial and fungal communities across host tissues remain incompletely resolved. We analyzed 16S rRNA gene and ITS amplicons from needles, stems, and roots of healthy trees and naturally infected trees at the mid-to-late stages of disease in Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc. (Japanese red pine) and …

Plantago lanceolata L. is a perennial medicinal plant widely recognized for its pharmacological importance and ecological adaptability. In addition to its therapeutic value, this species hosts diverse communities of endophytic bacteria that may significantly influence plant growth, metabolic activity, and tolerance to environmental stresses. The present study aimed to isolate, identify, and funct…

IntroductionAlthough plantmicrobe systems have been studied for singlemetal contamination, little is known about their synergistic mechanisms under CdNi costress. Current studies often lack mechanistic explanations of microbial immobilization and plant physiological regulation, which this study aims to address.MethodsTo explore the remediation effect and intrinsic mechanism of the plant-microbe c…

When they're being eaten, bean plants release chemicals that draw in parasitic wasps.

Nature Communications, Published online: 30 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73550-x Potyviruses seriously affect common bean production worldwide. Here, the authors combine genome assembly and characterization of loss-of-function mutants to reveal a dynamic NLR cluster conferring durable and broad-spectrum potyvirus resistance in common bean.

Nature Electronics, Published online: 28 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41928-026-01610-7 A dry multielectrode array can be used to visualize propagating electrical signals in plants with high-curvature tissues.

Nature Electronics, Published online: 28 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41928-026-01642-z Low-drift electrode arrays—based on a dry and conductive composite material made from an MXene and a pressure-sensitive adhesive—can be used to spatiotemporally map electrical signal propagation in plants such as Mimosa pudica.

IntroductionBeneficial microorganisms can facilitate the formation of advantageous microbial communities in the plant rhizosphere, thereby promoting plant health. Our research indicates that Glutamicibacter soli JF_198 can mitigate the severity of cucumber Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. This study investigates the tripartite association among Glutamicibacter soli J…

Scientific Reports, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-49431-0 Tobacco rattle virus triggers local defense and systemically coordinates taxoid biosynthesis in Taxus baccata revealed by integrated metabolic analysis

dc.title: Regulation of stomatal aperture in plants: Evidence for extracellular adenosine signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana dc.description.abstract: Extracellular adenosine functions as a hormone-like signal through G-protein-coupled purinergic receptors in animal cells. Although plant cells do use extracellular ATP signaling via purinergic receptors, there is currently no evidence for extracellu…

Nature Communications, Published online: 21 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73528-9 This study identifies 11-OH-JA, not 12-OH-JA, as the major JOX-derived shunt product accumulating in wounded Arabidopsis. 11-OH-JA does not bind the COI1-JAZ co-receptor, redefining JA catabolism as a deactivation pathway.

This article is part of the Journey of a Young Investigator (JOYI) 2026 series, highlighting Amrita Saxena ’s journey shaped by curiosity, mentorship, and unexpected turns. Now an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied and Health Sciences, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru , she studies plant stress biology to understand crop resilience while men…

Scientific Reports, Published online: 18 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-52246-8 Lactic acid bacteria priming of antioxidant defense systems mitigates oxidative damage and preserves postharvest quality in tomato under drought stress

Clay minerals have long been thought too large for plant absorption, but new research turns that assumption on its head. Scientists have discovered that wheat (Triticum aestivum) can absorb micrometer-sized montmorillonite particles--a common soil clay mineral--through tiny cracks formed at sites of lateral root emergence.

Nature Communications, Published online: 02 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72199-w The wheat NLR Pm3e provides broad-spectrum resistance against powdery mildew. Here, the authors show that Pm3e recognizes two structurally unrelated effector proteins and that its range can be further expanded by NLR engineering.

Nature Communications, Published online: 30 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72469-7 This study reveals how plants balance growth with survival under low-oxygen conditions. The signaling module SnRK1–RAP2.4h–PIP2 fine-tunes this trade-off, offering a potential target to improve crop flood tolerance.