📄 Category

plant biology

191 papers

Plant biology explores the intricate lives of the green world, from the microscopic machinery inside a leaf to how entire forests adapt to a changing climate. This field investigates everything from how roots drink water to the complex chemical signals plants use to communicate, offering vital insights into food security and environmental resilience.

On Gist.Science, we make these discoveries accessible by processing every new preprint in this category directly from bioRxiv. For each study, we provide both a plain-language overview for curious minds and a detailed technical summary for researchers, ensuring that the latest findings in plant science are clear and actionable. Below are the most recent papers in plant biology, freshly summarized for you to explore.

📄 plant biology

Multiple approaches for CRISPR-based targeting of DNA methylation to promoters of bacterial and viral susceptibility genes in cassava

This study demonstrates that CRISPR/Cas9-based epigenome editing tools can successfully induce targeted DNA methylation at the promoters of susceptibility genes in cassava, thereby repressing their expression and conferring resistance to both bacterial blight and brown streak virus, although the resulting methylation patterns show limited stability across generations without the editing machinery.

Gilbert, K. B., Lin, Z.-J. D., Veley, K. M., Stanton, M. K., Yoder, M., Norton, J., Feng, S., He, Y., Hernandez, G. L. (…)2026-06-06
📄 plant biology

Local genetic neighbourhoods but resilient gene flow across anthropogenic landscapes in the red campion (Silene dioica)

Despite sampling across a gradient of human-altered landscapes, this study on red campion (*Silene dioica*) reveals that anthropogenic changes do not significantly impede gene flow or genetic diversity, as the species maintains substantial genetic connectivity through a combination of short-distance pollen dispersal and long-distance immigration.

Jolivel, C., Arnaud, J.-F., Barbot, E., Gode, C., Joffard, N., De Cauwer, I.2026-06-06
📄 plant biology

Foundational characterization of tomato fruit RALF peptides reveals structural and functional specialization within the SlRALF

This study characterizes tomato fruit RALF peptides, revealing that while SlRALF5 and SlRALF7 are conserved, bioactive regulators of cell wall signaling during ripening, SlRALF10 exhibits divergent structural features and lacks canonical bioactivity, indicating distinct functional specialization among fruit-expressed RALFs.

Montano, J. A., Carrera, M., Wang, X., Mesa-Rojas, P., Luna, A. M., Schaller, A., Morilla, I., Doblas, V. G.2026-06-06
📄 plant biology

Humidity-driven shape morphing enhances fog harvesting in porous cactus spines

This study reveals that the porous, hygroscopic spines of the *Turbinicarpus alonsoi* cactus utilize humidity-driven swelling to straighten their pre-curved shape, thereby significantly enhancing fog water collection and directing it to the roots for survival in semi-arid environments.

Huss, J. C., Box, F., Groemmer, M. A., Antreich, S. J., Zhang, Q., Ovee, T. A., Louf, J.-F., Schoenenberger, J., William (…)2026-06-04
📄 plant biology

A Root Foundation Model for Zero-Shot Segmentation

This paper introduces the first domain-specific foundation model for root segmentation, demonstrating that it significantly outperforms general pre-trained models in zero-shot and few-shot scenarios while achieving comparable performance to general models when fully fine-tuned, thereby enabling fully automatic root segmentation on standard hardware without the need for annotation or training.

Smith, A. G., Lamprinidis, S., Wlaszczyk, A., Petersen, J.2026-05-28
📄 plant biology

Bark beetle protein elicitors trigger biphasic immune responses in Norway spruce seedlings

This study establishes a reproducible phytotron-based assay using bark beetle protein extracts to demonstrate that Norway spruce seedlings mount a biphasic, temporally structured immune response characterized by rapid signaling at 2 hours and defense protein accumulation at 48 hours, which closely mirrors field-observed defenses in mature trees while remaining largely localized to the stem.

Ramires, M. J., Netherer, S., Schebeck, M., Ertl, R., Ahmad, M., Arc, E., van Loo, M., Trujillo Moya, C.2026-05-28
📄 plant biology

Comparative nectar metabolomics reveals sucrose-nitrogen tradeoffs and chemical drivers of microbial growth in floral nectar

By analyzing nectar metabolomics across 31 diverse plant species, this study reveals a tradeoff between sucrose and amino acid concentrations that drives microbial growth, highlighting how chemical composition influences both pollinator nutrition and the ecological costs of nectar production.

Vannette, R., Rering, C., Cecala, J. M., Landucci, L., Lanier, A.2026-05-27
📄 plant biology

Phosphorus-laden Mg/Fe Layered Double Hydroxide Dispersed on Douglas fir Biochar as a Controlled Release Fertilizer and its effect on the growth of bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris).

This study demonstrates that phosphorus-loaded Mg/Fe layered double hydroxide dispersed on Douglas fir biochar functions as an effective controlled-release fertilizer that significantly enhances bush bean growth, biomass, and nutrient uptake while offering a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizers.

Singh, T., Rodrigo, P. M., Folk, R. A., Dhillon, J., Varco, J. J., Mlsna, T.2026-05-24