@article{anjam_single-cell_2026,
	title = {Single-cell laser ablation uncovers the blueprint of plant development},
	issn = {1360-1385},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360138526001329},
	doi = {10.1016/j.tplants.2026.04.029},
	abstract = {Understanding how positional information within plant tissues shapes developmental programs in real time has long remained a challenge due to technical limitations in precisely accessing and manipulating defined cellular domains within complex tissues. Recent advances in single-cell laser ablation, particularly when combined with confocal microscopy, now allow precise spatiotemporal perturbation of selected cells. This technology has enabled researchers to dissect cellular functions, communication dynamics, and mechanical responses with unprecedented accuracy. Here, we review how laser ablation has emerged as a transformative approach in plant biology, from unraveling the signaling networks governing meristem maintenance and root patterning to modeling wound responses and immune activation.},
	urldate = {2026-05-29},
	journal = {Trends in Plant Science},
	author = {Anjam, Muhammad S. and Di Fino, Luciano Martín and Ma, Xuemin and Marhavý, Peter},
	month = may,
	year = {2026},
	keywords = {mechanobiology, phytohormone crosstalk, single-cell ablation, tissue regeneration, wound signaling},
}

Understanding how positional information within plant tissues shapes developmental programs in real time has long remained a challenge due to technical limitations in precisely accessing and manipulating defined cellular domains within complex tissues. Recent advances in single-cell laser ablation, particularly when combined with confocal microscopy, now allow precise spatiotemporal perturbation of selected cells. This technology has enabled researchers to dissect cellular functions, communication dynamics, and mechanical responses with unprecedented accuracy. Here, we review how laser ablation has emerged as a transformative approach in plant biology, from unraveling the signaling networks governing meristem maintenance and root patterning to modeling wound responses and immune activation.

@article{tiziani_deciphering_2026,
	title = {Deciphering underexplored rhizosphere processes: root acquisition of citric acid and its metabolic journey in tomato},
	issn = {0022-0957},
	shorttitle = {Deciphering underexplored rhizosphere processes},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag066},
	doi = {10.1093/jxb/erag066},
	abstract = {Root-exuded organic acids are crucial in mitigating iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) deficiencies, and their biosynthesis and secretion require significant metabolic investment. Recent studies have shown that roots can also uptake exudates. We hypothesized that citric acid uptake increases under Fe and P deficiencies, declines over time, and contributes to primary metabolism. We investigated citric acid uptake, translocation, and metabolization in Fe- and P-deficient tomato plants grown hydroponically using 13C-labelling with bulk stable-isotope and compound-specific stable-isotope analysis. Physiological parameters, root morphology, and elemental composition were also assessed. Deficient plants showed reduced P and Fe contents, reduced photosynthesis, altered root morphology, and an altered citric acid uptake that could not be attributed to morphological differences. Iron deficiency reduced citric acid uptake, indicating its role in rhizospheric Fe mobilization, while P deficiency increased the uptake, enhancing resource use efficiency. Unexpectedly, citric acid uptake increased with plant development. In Fe deficiency, citric acid-derived carbon was allocated to secondary metabolites, while in P deficiency it supported the tricarboxylic acid and GS-GOGAT cycles. This study is the first to demonstrate that citric acid uptake is a multifunctional process, underscoring its critical role in plant responses to nutrient starvation, especially under P deficiency.},
	urldate = {2026-04-24},
	journal = {Journal of Experimental Botany},
	author = {Tiziani, Raphael and Trevisan, Fabio and Hodek, Ondřej and Jämtgård, Sandra and Moritz, Thomas and Bouaicha, Oussama and Chibesa, Mirriam C and Fracasso, Ilaria and Mimmo, Tanja},
	month = feb,
	year = {2026},
	pages = {erag066},
}

Root-exuded organic acids are crucial in mitigating iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) deficiencies, and their biosynthesis and secretion require significant metabolic investment. Recent studies have shown that roots can also uptake exudates. We hypothesized that citric acid uptake increases under Fe and P deficiencies, declines over time, and contributes to primary metabolism. We investigated citric acid uptake, translocation, and metabolization in Fe- and P-deficient tomato plants grown hydroponically using 13C-labelling with bulk stable-isotope and compound-specific stable-isotope analysis. Physiological parameters, root morphology, and elemental composition were also assessed. Deficient plants showed reduced P and Fe contents, reduced photosynthesis, altered root morphology, and an altered citric acid uptake that could not be attributed to morphological differences. Iron deficiency reduced citric acid uptake, indicating its role in rhizospheric Fe mobilization, while P deficiency increased the uptake, enhancing resource use efficiency. Unexpectedly, citric acid uptake increased with plant development. In Fe deficiency, citric acid-derived carbon was allocated to secondary metabolites, while in P deficiency it supported the tricarboxylic acid and GS-GOGAT cycles. This study is the first to demonstrate that citric acid uptake is a multifunctional process, underscoring its critical role in plant responses to nutrient starvation, especially under P deficiency.

@article{urbancsok_wood-specific_2025,
	title = {Wood-specific modification of glucuronoxylan can enhance growth in {Populus}},
	issn = {0022-0957},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf364},
	doi = {10.1093/jxb/eraf364},
	abstract = {Xylem cells are surrounded by primary and secondary cell walls. Formation of primary walls is regulated by the cell wall integrity surveillance system, but it is unclear if the deposition of secondary walls is similarly regulated. To study this question, we introduced to aspen three different enzymes cleaving cell wall-localized xylan and we suppressed xylan synthase components either ubiquitously or specifically during secondary wall formation using Populus trichocarpa GT43B promoter. When xylan was ubiquitously altered, 95\% of lines showed reduced growth, whereas when it was altered during secondary wall deposition, 30\% of lines grew better with the rest having no growth impairment, suggesting opposite effects of primary and secondary wall disturbances. To detect mechanism of growth stimulation by disturbed deposition of secondary wall, we analyzed changes in wood quality traits, chemistry, transcriptomics, metabolomics and hormonomics in transgenic lines. We found increased tension wood production, reduced S- and H-lignin, and changes in several metabolites in common in these lines. Remorin REM1.3 and NRL2 (NPH3 family) transcripts increased and changes in jasmonates, ABA and SA occurred in secondary wall-forming xylem suggesting their involvement in secondary wall integrity surveyance and signaling. The data indicate that a unique program mediates responses to secondary wall impairment that induces growth.},
	urldate = {2025-08-29},
	journal = {Journal of Experimental Botany},
	author = {Urbancsok, János and Donev, Evgeniy N and Derba-Maceluch, Marta and Sivan, Pramod and Barbut, Félix R and Mitra, Madhusree and Yassin, Zakiya and Cermanová, Kateřina and Šimura, Jan and Karady, Michal and Scheepers, Gerhard and Mellerowicz, Ewa J},
	month = aug,
	year = {2025},
	pages = {eraf364},
}

Xylem cells are surrounded by primary and secondary cell walls. Formation of primary walls is regulated by the cell wall integrity surveillance system, but it is unclear if the deposition of secondary walls is similarly regulated. To study this question, we introduced to aspen three different enzymes cleaving cell wall-localized xylan and we suppressed xylan synthase components either ubiquitously or specifically during secondary wall formation using Populus trichocarpa GT43B promoter. When xylan was ubiquitously altered, 95% of lines showed reduced growth, whereas when it was altered during secondary wall deposition, 30% of lines grew better with the rest having no growth impairment, suggesting opposite effects of primary and secondary wall disturbances. To detect mechanism of growth stimulation by disturbed deposition of secondary wall, we analyzed changes in wood quality traits, chemistry, transcriptomics, metabolomics and hormonomics in transgenic lines. We found increased tension wood production, reduced S- and H-lignin, and changes in several metabolites in common in these lines. Remorin REM1.3 and NRL2 (NPH3 family) transcripts increased and changes in jasmonates, ABA and SA occurred in secondary wall-forming xylem suggesting their involvement in secondary wall integrity surveyance and signaling. The data indicate that a unique program mediates responses to secondary wall impairment that induces growth.

@article{soro_minimum_2026,
	title = {Minimum marker densities for accurate genomic predictions and heritability estimates in three major {North} {American} and {European} spruce species},
	volume = {135},
	copyright = {2026 His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources and the Authors},
	issn = {1365-2540},
	url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-026-00836-7},
	doi = {10.1038/s41437-026-00836-7},
	abstract = {Genomic selection (GS) is being increasingly used in tree breeding with the aim to accelerate genetic gains by shortening the long breeding cycles. However, high genotyping costs remain a challenge. This study aimed to determine the optimal marker density in genome coverage to maximize GS accuracy and precision of heritability estimates for growth and wood quality traits. Thousands of SNPs representative of the exome of three major spruce species were used: 18,275 SNPs for black spruce (representing 10,894 distinct gene loci), 11,328 SNPs for white spruce (8647 gene loci), and 116,765 SNPs for Norway spruce (20,695 gene loci). For each species, a similar experimental design was used with related full-sib families replicated on two sites, and GBLUP prediction models were developed. The effect of varying the number of SNPs was examined by resampling subsets from 500 to 100,000 SNPs. Results indicated that plateaus in heritability estimates were reached as the marker density increased, stabilizing between 4000 and 8000 SNPs for a spruce genome size of around 2000 centimorgans, a trend consistent across all traits and species. Predictive ability and prediction accuracy both increased with the number of SNPs up to a similar level, beyond which further improvements were marginal. Such minimum marker densities should be financially affordable for most spruce breeding programs, striking a balance between the need for maximizing GS accuracy and that for minimizing genotyping costs. These findings should support the further deployment of GS in conifer breeding programs, with high selection precision and by reducing the financial burden of very high-density SNP coverage, even for conifers characterized by large giga-genomes.},
	language = {en},
	number = {5},
	urldate = {2026-05-29},
	journal = {Heredity},
	publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
	author = {Soro, André and Lenz, Patrick and Beaulieu, Jean and Laverdière, Jean-Philippe and Nadeau, Simon and Gagnon, France and Ogut, Funda and Wu, Harry X. and Perron, Martin and Bousquet, Jean},
	month = may,
	year = {2026},
	keywords = {Comparative genomics, Ecological genetics, Forestry},
	pages = {342--357},
}

Genomic selection (GS) is being increasingly used in tree breeding with the aim to accelerate genetic gains by shortening the long breeding cycles. However, high genotyping costs remain a challenge. This study aimed to determine the optimal marker density in genome coverage to maximize GS accuracy and precision of heritability estimates for growth and wood quality traits. Thousands of SNPs representative of the exome of three major spruce species were used: 18,275 SNPs for black spruce (representing 10,894 distinct gene loci), 11,328 SNPs for white spruce (8647 gene loci), and 116,765 SNPs for Norway spruce (20,695 gene loci). For each species, a similar experimental design was used with related full-sib families replicated on two sites, and GBLUP prediction models were developed. The effect of varying the number of SNPs was examined by resampling subsets from 500 to 100,000 SNPs. Results indicated that plateaus in heritability estimates were reached as the marker density increased, stabilizing between 4000 and 8000 SNPs for a spruce genome size of around 2000 centimorgans, a trend consistent across all traits and species. Predictive ability and prediction accuracy both increased with the number of SNPs up to a similar level, beyond which further improvements were marginal. Such minimum marker densities should be financially affordable for most spruce breeding programs, striking a balance between the need for maximizing GS accuracy and that for minimizing genotyping costs. These findings should support the further deployment of GS in conifer breeding programs, with high selection precision and by reducing the financial burden of very high-density SNP coverage, even for conifers characterized by large giga-genomes.

@article{mishra_plant_2026,
	title = {Plant growth-promoting {Pseudomonas} strains modulate potato tuberisation signalling and development},
	issn = {0022-0957},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag237},
	doi = {10.1093/jxb/erag237},
	abstract = {Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can influence plant development through hormone signalling, nutrient mobilisation, and activation of defence pathways. While individual bacterial strains can enhance plant performance, microbial consortia may generate complementary or synergistic effects that remain poorly understood, particularly with respect to crop developmental signalling. Potato (Solanum tuberosum), the most important dicot food crop globally, represents a suitable model for investigating how beneficial microbes influence tuber development.In this study, we investigated the effects of two well-characterised PGPR strains, Pseudomonas protegens CHA0 and P. simiae WCS417, applied individually or in combination, on two potato cultivars (‘Mandel’ and ‘Désirée’) under long-day conditions. Confocal microscopy confirmed rapid root colonisation by both strains within 24 h of inoculation. Metabolomic profiling of bacterial exudates revealed distinct metabolic signatures for the two strains and non-additive metabolite patterns when cultured together, suggesting metabolic interactions within the bacterial consortium.Plant responses were cultivar dependent, with bacterial treatments influencing vegetative growth and selected tuber quality traits, including starch and ascorbic acid levels. Gene expression analyses revealed strong induction of the tuberisation regulator StSP6A in roots, with up to five-fold increased expression following P. protegens and combined inoculation, accompanied by activation of jasmonic acid-related signalling pathways.Together, these results indicate that interactions between beneficial Pseudomonas strains can influence potato development through coordinated effects on root architecture and signalling pathways associated with tuberisation and defence.},
	urldate = {2026-05-29},
	journal = {Journal of Experimental Botany},
	author = {Mishra, Arti and Mahawar, Lovely and Tsitouri, Angeliki and Basheer, Jasim and Albrectsen, Benedicte Riber},
	month = may,
	year = {2026},
	pages = {erag237},
}

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can influence plant development through hormone signalling, nutrient mobilisation, and activation of defence pathways. While individual bacterial strains can enhance plant performance, microbial consortia may generate complementary or synergistic effects that remain poorly understood, particularly with respect to crop developmental signalling. Potato (Solanum tuberosum), the most important dicot food crop globally, represents a suitable model for investigating how beneficial microbes influence tuber development.In this study, we investigated the effects of two well-characterised PGPR strains, Pseudomonas protegens CHA0 and P. simiae WCS417, applied individually or in combination, on two potato cultivars (‘Mandel’ and ‘Désirée’) under long-day conditions. Confocal microscopy confirmed rapid root colonisation by both strains within 24 h of inoculation. Metabolomic profiling of bacterial exudates revealed distinct metabolic signatures for the two strains and non-additive metabolite patterns when cultured together, suggesting metabolic interactions within the bacterial consortium.Plant responses were cultivar dependent, with bacterial treatments influencing vegetative growth and selected tuber quality traits, including starch and ascorbic acid levels. Gene expression analyses revealed strong induction of the tuberisation regulator StSP6A in roots, with up to five-fold increased expression following P. protegens and combined inoculation, accompanied by activation of jasmonic acid-related signalling pathways.Together, these results indicate that interactions between beneficial Pseudomonas strains can influence potato development through coordinated effects on root architecture and signalling pathways associated with tuberisation and defence.