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| Open AccessManipulating microRNA miR408 enhances both biomass yield and saccharification efficiency in poplar
Modifying plant lignin pathway to enhance saccharification efficiency is often associated with growth penalty. Here, the authors show that overexpression of Pag-miR408 in poplar leads to enhanced saccharification efficiency and growth in both laboratory and field conditions, and laccase genes are the targets of Pag-miR408.
- Yayu Guo
- , Shufang Wang
- & Jinxing Lin
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Article
| Open AccessAugmented CO2 tolerance by expressing a single H+-pump enables microalgal valorization of industrial flue gas
Microalgae used for CO2 removal in an industrial exhaust gas stream usually has low CO2 tolerance. Here, the authors increase CO2 tolerance by expressing a single H + -pump and enable microalgal valorization of industrial flue gas.
- Hong Il Choi
- , Sung-Won Hwang
- & Sang Jun Sim
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| Open AccessPlasma membrane H+-ATPase overexpression increases rice yield via simultaneous enhancement of nutrient uptake and photosynthesis
Improved utilisation of nitrogen and carbon could boost agricultural productivity. Here Zhang et al. show that overexpression of a single gene, encoding the plasma membrane H+ -ATPase 1 OSA1, is able to increase both carbon fixation via photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation via ammonium uptake in rice.
- Maoxing Zhang
- , Yin Wang
- & Yiyong Zhu
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| Open AccessMSH1-induced heritable enhanced growth vigor through grafting is associated with the RdDM pathway in plants
The meiotic transmissibility and progeny phenotypic influence of graft-mediated epigenetic changes remain unclear. Here, the authors use the msh1 mutant in the rootstock to trigger heritable enhanced growth vigor in Arabidopsis and tomato, and show it is associated with the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway.
- Hardik Kundariya
- , Xiaodong Yang
- & Sally A. Mackenzie
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| Open AccessPhotosystem II Subunit S overexpression increases the efficiency of water use in a field-grown crop
Availability of irrigation water will be an increasing barrier to global crop yield increases. Here the authors show transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing Photosystem II Subunit S have less stomatal opening in response to light and a 25% reduction in water loss per CO2 assimilated under replicated field trials.
- Katarzyna Głowacka
- , Johannes Kromdijk
- & Stephen P. Long
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| Open AccessGenetic variations in ARE1 mediate grain yield by modulating nitrogen utilization in rice
Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of nitrogen assimilation is crucial for developing crop cultivars with improved nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE). Here the authors identify a new negative regulator of NUE and mutation of this gene increases 10–20% rice grain yield under nitrogen-limiting field conditions.
- Qing Wang
- , Jinqiang Nian
- & Jianru Zuo
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Article
| Open AccessTransgenic Cavendish bananas with resistance to Fusarium wilt tropical race 4
The newly recognized Fusarium wilt pathogen tropical race 4 is threatening worldwide banana production. Here, the authors transform Cavendish bananas with a resistance gene, RGA2, from diploid banana or a nematode-derived gene, Ced9, and confer resistance to natural infection under field conditions.
- James Dale
- , Anthony James
- & Robert Harding
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| Open AccessAltered expression of maize PLASTOCHRON1 enhances biomass and seed yield by extending cell division duration
Maize is the highest yielding cereal crop grown worldwide. Here Sunet al. show that maize growth can be further enhanced by prolonging the duration of leaf elongation by targeted ectopic expression of the PLASTOCHRON1gene and show that this leads to increased yield in field trials.
- Xiaohuan Sun
- , James Cahill
- & Hilde Nelissen
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| Open AccessAnts and termites increase crop yield in a dry climate
The presence of earthworms is known to enhance the quality and moisture of soil in cool and wet climates. Evanset al. show that termites and ants can improve soil quality in warmer and drier climates—their presence results in elevated water infiltration and nitrogen content, leading to increased wheat yields.
- Theodore A. Evans
- , Tracy Z. Dawes
- & Nathan Lo