Plant-microbe interactions: Mining heritable root-associated microbiota across environments.

The root-associated microbiota represents an untapped reservoir of beneficial functions for plants. A new study begins unravelling the host genetic determinants governing these interactions across environments, which will be a key step towards the development of novel climate-smart crops.

Shared Transcriptional Control and Disparate Gain and Loss of Aphid Parasitism Genes.

Aphids are a diverse group of taxa that contain agronomically important species, which vary in their host range and ability to infest crop plants. The genome evolution underlying agriculturally important aphid traits is not well understood. We generated draft genome assemblies for two aphid species: Myzus cerasi (black cherry aphid) and the cereal specialist Rhopalosiphum padi.