The interplay between the inoculation of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and the rhizosphere microbiome and their impact on plant phenotype.

Microbial inoculation stands as a pivotal strategy, fostering symbiotic relationships between beneficial microorganisms and plants, thereby enhancing nutrient uptake, bolstering resilience against environmental stressors, and ultimately promoting healthier and more productive plant growth. However, while the advantageous roles of inoculants are widely acknowledged, the precise and nuanced impacts of inoculation on the intricate interactions of the rhizosphere microbiome remain significantly underexplored. This study explores the impact of bacterial inoculation on soil properties, plant growth, and the rhizosphere microbiome.

Photosynthetic and metabolic acclimation to repeated drought events play key roles in drought tolerance in coffee.

Over the last decades, most information on the mechanisms underlying tolerance to drought has been gained by considering this stress as a single event that happens just once in the life of a plant, in contrast to what occurs under natural conditions where recurrent drought episodes are the rule. Here we explored mechanisms of drought tolerance in coffee (Coffea canephora) plants from a broader perspective, integrating key aspects of plant physiology and biochemistry. We show that plants exposed to multiple drought events displayed higher photosynthetic rates, which were largely accounted for by biochemical rather than diffusive or hydraulic factors, than those submitted to drought for the first time.

Analysis of the arabidopsis REM gene family predicts functions during flower development.

Background And Aims: The REM (Reproductive Meristem) gene family of Arabidopsis thaliana is part of the B3 DNA-binding domain superfamily. Despite the fact that several groups have worked on the REM genes for many years, little is known about the function of this transcription factor family. This study aims to identify a set of REM genes involved in flower development and to characterize their function.

MADS: the missing link between identity and growth?

Size and shape are intrinsic characteristics of any given plant organ and, therefore, are inherently connected with its identity. How the connection between identity and growth is established at the molecular level remains one of the key questions in developmental biology. The identity of floral organs is determined by a hierarchical combination of transcription factors, most of which belong to the MADS box family.