Fresh leafy vegetables such as pakchoi rapidly lose quality after harvest due to leaf yellowing and senescence. This study uncovers the molecular mechanism through which the plant hormone 2,4-epibrassinolide (EBR), a brassinosteroid analog, delays leaf senescence in pakchoi. Researchers identified BrWRKY8, a nucleus-localized transcription factor that promotes leaf aging by activating chlorophyll degradation (BrSGR2) and brassinosteroid degradation (BrCHI2) genes. EBR treatment suppresses BrWRKY8 expression, thereby maintaining chlorophyll and hormone balance, leading to extended postharvest freshness. These findings reveal a critical regulatory pathway linking EBR and BrWRKY8 in delaying leaf senescence.

Tomato improvement through genome editing has long been hindered by the difficulty of generating transgenic plants. Researchers have now developed a virus-induced genome editing (VIGE) platform that enables heritable mutations in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) without the need for tissue culture. By engineering a tobacco rattle virus (TRV) system carrying mobile guide RNAs derived from the tomato Flowering Locus T (SlFT) gene, and pairing it with a SlUBI10-driven Cas9 expression line, they successfully produced knockout tomato seeds with up to 100% heritability. This innovative system dramatically reduces time and labor costs for tomato gene editing, opening the door to rapid functional studies and breeding applications.

Researchers from Aarhus University are one step closer to understanding how some plants survive without nitrogen. A breakthrough that could eventually reduce the need for artificial fertilizer in crops such as wheat, maize, or rice.

In Finland, forest stands damaged by the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) tend to concentrate in groups and form clusters, especially in mature Norway spruce forests close to previous infestations, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows.