The use of alkaline salt lands for crop production is hindered by a scarcity of knowledge and breeding efforts for plant alkaline tolerance. Through genome association analysis of sorghum, a naturally high-alkaline–tolerant crop, we detected a major locus, Alkaline Tolerance 1 ( AT1 ), specifically related to alkaline-salinity sensitivity. An at1 allele with a carboxyl-terminal truncation increased sensitivity, whereas knockout of AT1 increased tolerance to alkalinity in sorghum, millet, rice, and maize. AT1 encodes an atypical G protein γ subunit that affects the phosphorylation of aquaporins to modulate the distribution of hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) _. These processes appear to protect plants against oxidative stress by alkali. Designing knockouts of AT1 homologs or selecting its natural nonfunctional alleles could improve crop productivity in sodic lands.

Rice (Oryza sativa) feeds half of the world’s population. Rice grain yield and quality which are constrained by diseases and mineral nutritions have important human healthy impacts. Plant “fruit-weight 2.2-like” (FWL) genes play key roles in modulating plant fruit weight, organ size and iron distribution. Previous work has uncovered that the grains of OsFWL5-oeverexpressing rice accumulated more beneficial element zinc (Zn) and less toxic element cadmium (Cd) content. However, whether FWL genes play roles in rice resistance remains unknown. Here, we validated that one of rice FWL genes OsFWL5 plays a positive role in defense to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Overexpresion of OsFWL5 promotes H2O2 accumulation and cell death. The OsFWL5-overexpresing plants show activated flg22-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and increased resistance to Xoo, indicating that OsFWL5 functions to increase pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity in rice. The activated defense response is associated with increased the expression of genes involved in jasmonic acid (JA)-related signaling. Furthermore, Cd can induce rice resistance to Xoo, and OsFWL5 is required for Cd-induced rice defense response. Putting our finds and previous work together, OsFWL5 could be a candiate gene for breeders to genetically improve rice resistance and grain quality.

Heterotrimeric G-proteins act as molecular switches in signal transduction in response to stimuli in all eukaryotes. However, what specifies G-protein signaling in plants and how the mechanism evolved and diverged remain unsolved. Here, we found that the recently evolved tails of three Gγ subunits, Dense and erect panicle 1 (DEP1), G-protein gamma subunit 2 of type C (GGC2), and Grain size 3 (GS3), determine their distinct functions and specify grain size in rice (Oryza sativa L.). These Gγ subunits originated and expanded by an ancestral σ duplication ∼130 million years ago (mya) and a pancereal ρ duplication ∼70 mya in monocots, increasing genome complexity and inspiring functional innovations. In particular, through the comprehensive creation of artificial chimeric Gγ proteins, we found that this signaling selectivity is driven by repetitive elements and a link region hidden in plant-specific Gγ tails, allowing crops to switch from positive regulation to negative control. Unlike the tails, the conserved Gγ heads did not bias the signaling specificity; however, the change in the interaction between the mutated Gβ and Gγ affected the subsequent downstream signal transduction and grain size. Manipulating G-protein signaling also affects organ size in maize (Zea mays) and is expected to constitute a general mechanism for crop improvement. Collectively, these findings reveal that plant-specific Gγ tails drive signaling selectivity and serve as valuable targets for optimizing crop traits through G-protein manipulation.

Enhancing crop resilience to guarantee stable, high yields under adverse conditions has long been a central goal of rice breeding, but it remains challenging because of inherent trade‐offs. Here, we show that the transcriptional activity of the aldehyde‐dehydrogenase OsALDH2B1 simultaneously increases grain length and alkaline tolerance. Upon alkali stress, the plasma‐membrane leucine‐rich‐repeat receptor‐like kinase SERL1 phosphorylates OsALDH2B1 at Thr‐481, thereby blocking its 26S‐proteasome‐mediated degradation. Stabilized OsALDH2B1 directly represses GS3 , a negative regulator of both grain size and alkaline tolerance, and activates all three catalase genes, leading to reduced hydrogen‐peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) accumulation. OsALDH2B1 over‐expression enlarged grains and raised grain yield under field alkalinity, whereas osaldh2b1 mutants were hypersensitive. CRISPR knockouts of SERL1 or the catalase genes phenocopied these defects, confirming that the SERL1–OsALDH2B1 module constitutes an integrated signaling axis that links membrane perception to nuclear reprogramming through GS3 repression and catalase activation. This dual‐purpose circuit provides an immediate, breeder‐friendly target for high‐yield, alkaline‐resilient rice.

The auxin efflux carrier PIN-FORMED (PIN) family is pivotal for generating asymmetric auxin distribution that orchestrates plant root development. While the monocot-specific OsPIN9 has been implicated in tillering and stress responses, its precise role in early root development remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that OsPIN9 functions at the plasma membrane to maintain optimal auxin levels for root system architecture in rice. We confirmed its plasma membrane localization using a GFP fusion within the central hydrophilic loop, minimizing functional interference. Intriguingly, both knockout and overexpression of OsPIN9 resulted in similar defective phenotypes, including shorter roots and reduced crown and lateral roots. These defects were partially rescued by exogenous auxin, and overexpression lines exhibited resistance to the auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA). Furthermore, independent OsPIN9-GFP lines reproduced the overexpression phenotypes. Additionally, transcriptomic profiling revealed that loss of OsPIN9 function alters the expression of key genes involved in auxin transport and biosynthesis, providing a molecular basis for the disturbed auxin homeostasis underlying the root defects. Our findings define OsPIN9-mediated polar auxin transport as being essential for auxin homeostasis, thereby orchestrating the establishment of the root system in early seedlings.

The connection between the carbon fibers reinforced thermo-polymer (CFRTP) and the titanium alloy hybrid structure is the key to realize aircraft lightweight and high strength manufacturing. In this study, the laser joining method is used to join CFRTP and titanium alloy. The influence of boundary state on the strength of CFRTP-TC4 joint is studied by preparing different size micro-textures on TC4 alloy surface. The result indicated that the smaller of the line spacing of micro textures on the TC4 alloy surface, the higher of the connection strength, and a high strength CFRTP-titanium alloy joint can be obtained by adding PA resin layer in the interface of CFRTP and titanium alloy.