Structure-guided reprogramming of DELLA turnover for a sustainable Green Revolution in rice

The carbon-nitrogen metabolism gene E1OGDH1 influences maize root system architecture and nitrogen plasticity

Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers have greatly increased crop yields, yet much of the applied nitrogen is lost from agroecosystems and contributes to environmental pollution and higher economic costs. Improving nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE) benefits from understanding how root system architecture (RSA) governs soil nitrogen capture. Although root traits have seldom been explicit breeding targets, selection for variation in above-ground nitrogen accumulation has also likely shaped differences in RSA. The Illinois Protein Strain Recombinant Inbred population, derived from more than a century of divergent selection for seed protein concentration, offers a powerful resource for dissecting RSA variation. Using multi-year field phenotyping of excavated root crowns and genome-wide association analysis, we identified a quantitative trait locus on chromosome 10 containing E1OGDH1, which encodes the E1 subunit of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) complex. OGDH performs a key step in the tricarboxylic acid cycle that also modulates 2-oxoglutarate, an important entry point into nitrogen metabolism and a co-factor for enzymes involved in hormone and secondary product synthesis. Long-read sequencing of inbreds derived from the divergent IHP and ILP parental populations revealed promoter polymorphisms defining E1OGDH1 alleles and differed in E1OGDH1 expression in root tissue. Field experiments in IPSRI lines carrying IHP- or ILP-associated E1OGDH1 alleles showed differences in root architectural traits over two years. CRISPR-Cas9 knockout mutants confirmed a functional role for E1OGDH1 in whole-plant performance and nitrogen-responsive root development. Mutants were shorter, had reduced biomass, and exhibited altered architectural responses to soil nitrogen levels. Transcriptome analysis further showed that loss of E1OGDH1 altered basal and nitrogen-responsive expression of genes associated with root development and nitrogen uptake and metabolism. Together, these findings identify E1OGDH1 as a strong candidate quantitative regulator of maize RSA and nitrogen plasticity, suggesting that central carbon–nitrogen metabolic genes can contribute to root developmental responses relevant to NUpE.

Plant G proteins: Versatile signaling hubs for synergistic improvement of agronomic traits

The regulatory networks of G protein subunits in yield and quality traits and stress responses are summarized, the mechanisms underlying G protein‐mediated growth‐resistance decoupling are dissected, and precision strategies to simultaneously enhance these agronomic traits are proposed.

Nitrogen use efficiency in crops under salt stress: from molecular networks to intelligent breeding

Soil salinization threatens global arable land and agricultural sustainability, severely reducing crop nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by disrupting root ammonium and nitrate fluxes, impairing nitrogen-assimilation enzymes, and disrupting carbon–nitrogen (C–N) balance. This review synthesizes recent advances in the coordination of salt-stress signaling and nitrogen homeostasis in plants. Two mechanistically distinct regulatory axes have recently been proposed. In one, a nitrate transporter acts as a dual sensor for nitrate and abscisic acid (ABA); in the other, SOS kinase-mediated phosphorylation of an ammonium transporter maintains ammonium uptake under Na+ stress. In addition, rapid post-translational regulatory mechanisms, including reversible protein phosphorylation and S-nitrosylation of nitrate reductase, can fine-tune nitrogen fluxes shortly after salt exposure. These findings inform a four-tier closed-loop conceptual framework comprising signal perception, transport reprogramming, metabolic redistribution, and genetic redesign. The framework yields three testable predictions: the sequential activation of regulatory tiers; a quantitative relationship between Ca2+ signal amplitude and the extent of C–N metabolic redistribution; and salt-concentration thresholds that distinguish basal homeostatic buffering from full adaptive reprogramming. Translation of this framework to field crops requires an integrated breeding pipeline that combines multi-environment quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, pan-genome-enabled genome-wide association studies, genomic selection for minor-effect alleles, and multiplex CRISPR editing coupled with stress-inducible synthetic promoters to pyramid favorable traits while minimizing yield penalties. A major unresolved challenge is to resolve the dynamic protein–metabolite networks that govern growth–defense trade-offs under combined salinity and nitrogen limitation. The integration of single-cell transcriptomics, isotope-based metabolic flux analysis, and machine-learning-assisted phenomics may help link genotypic variation to agronomic performance in salinized agroecosystems.

A domestication-selected enhancer coordinates source-sink balance to improve harvest index and yield in maize.

A key domestication-selected regulatory module that coordinates resource allocation is elucidate, promoting source-to-sink allocation to increase harvest index and grain yield even under nitrogen-limiting conditions.

RNAi: the next wave of green agriculture, challenges, and bridging the translational gap

Synthetic Rice Genome and Epigenetic Engineering: Emerging Strategies for Climate-Resilient Crops: Review Article

Rice (Oryza sativa) is among the most important staple food crops in the world, serving as a main source of food security for approximately one-half of the world's population. Nevertheless, its cultivation is becoming compromised due to climate change, as repeated drought and saline soils, along with erratic temperatures, pose heavy restrictions on its yield. Traditional breeding and genetic engineering have contributed to enhancing crop performance; however, they are still constrained by the complex stress-responsive networks and by the time taken to develop tolerant cultivars. In order to overcome these challenges, technologies on the horizon, synthetic genomics and epigenetic engineering, are becoming game-changers in crop science. Synthetic genomics permits the refactoring and partial reassembly of plant genomes, thereby allowing new gene circuits to be built in, synthetic chromosomes to be installed, and multiplex editing via CRISPR-mediated alterations to increase drought tolerance or salinity resistance or boost photosynthesis in rice. Concurrently, epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation and histone modification, as well as non-coding RNA-mediated regulation, can impose a more dynamic and reversible layer of control on gene expression by modulating stress responses while leaving the actual DNA sequence unaltered. Emerging evidence indicates that certain epigenetic marks are capable of being 'remembered' across generations and could influence long-term resilience to stress. This review emphasizes the use of synthetic genomics-based epigenetic regulation as a new horizon in climate-resilient rice improvement.