Taming of the microbial beasts: Plant immunity tethers potentially pathogenic microbiota members.

Plants are in intimate association with taxonomically structured microbial communities called the plant microbiota. There is growing evidence that the plant microbiota contributes to the holistic performance and general health of plants, especially under unfavorable situations. Despite the attached benefits, surprisingly, the plant microbiota in nature also includes potentially pathogenic strains, signifying that the plant hosts have tight control over these microbes.

Commensal lifestyle regulated by a negative feedback loop between Arabidopsis ROS and the bacterial T2SS.

Despite the plant health-promoting effects of plant microbiota, these assemblages also comprise potentially detrimental microbes. How plant immunity controls its microbiota to promote plant health under these conditions remains largely unknown. We find that commensal bacteria isolated from healthy Arabidopsis plants trigger diverse patterns of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production dependent on the immune receptors and completely on the NADPH oxidase RBOHD that selectively inhibited specific commensals, notably Xanthomonas L148.

Dissecting the cotranscriptome landscape of plants and their microbiota.

Interactions between plants and neighboring microbial species are fundamental elements that collectively determine the structure and function of the plant microbiota. However, the molecular basis of such interactions is poorly characterized. Here, we colonize Arabidopsis leaves with nine plant-associated bacteria from all major phyla of the plant microbiota and profile cotranscriptomes of plants and bacteria six hours after inoculation.

Gene expression evolution in pattern-triggered immunity within Arabidopsis thaliana and across Brassicaceae species.

Plants recognize surrounding microbes by sensing microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) to activate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Despite their significance for microbial control, the evolution of PTI responses remains largely uncharacterized. Here, by employing comparative transcriptomics of six Arabidopsis thaliana accessions and three additional Brassicaceae species to investigate PTI responses, we identified a set of genes that commonly respond to the MAMP flg22 and genes that exhibit species-specific expression signatures.

Responses of AG1 and AG2 QTL introgression lines and seed pre-treatment on growth and physiological processes during anaerobic germination of rice under flooding.

Rice seeds germinating in flooded soils encounter hypoxia or even anoxia leading to poor seed germination and crop establishment. Introgression of AG1 and AG2 QTLs associated with tolerance of flooding during germination, together with seed pre-treatment via hydro-priming or presoaking can enhance germination and seedling growth in anaerobic soils. This study assessed the performance of elite lines incorporating AG1, AG2 and their combination when directly seeded in flooded soils using dry seeds.

Newly Identified Wild Rice Accessions Conferring High Salt Tolerance Might Use a Tissue Tolerance Mechanism in Leaf.

Cultivated rice ( L.) is very sensitive to salt stress. So far a few rice landraces have been identified as a source of salt tolerance and utilized in rice improvement.

Rice Seed Germination Underwater: Morpho-Physiological Responses and the Bases of Differential Expression of Alcoholic Fermentation Enzymes.

The water-, energy-, and labor-intensive system of transplanted puddled rice () is steadily being replaced by direct seeding due to the progressive scarcity of these resources. However, the alternate dry direct seeding leads to competition with weeds and poor establishment when soils are flooded. Direct seeded rice capable of anaerobic germination (germination in flooded soil, AG) is ideal, which under rainfed ecosystems would also overcome waterlogging during germination.