Plant-plant interactions in wheat mixtures modulate mean and variance of susceptibility to Septoria tritici blotch.

Varietal mixtures are a promising agro-ecological approach to stabilizing yields by reducing diseases. The effects of mixtures stem from modifications of epidemiological processes and underestimated plant-plant interactions, which could explain some of the paradoxical observations made in the field. However, the role of plant-plant interactions in modifying bread wheat and durum wheat susceptibility to Septoria tritici blotch remains to be elucidated.

Agroecological genomics and participatory science: optimizing crop mixtures for agricultural diversification.

Crops based on mixtures of species or genotypes support yield stability by providing multiple ecosystem services. However, the genetic, molecular, and evolutionary dynamics underlying co-adaptation within such mixtures must be understood to optimize beneficial plant-plant interactions. We therefore propose agroecological genomics as an integrated quantitative and population genetics approach that can be combined with cutting-edge omics methods and participatory science.

A Simplified and Integrated View of Disease Control in Varietal Mixtures Using the Phytobiome Framework.

Increasing intraspecific diversity within crop systems is a promising strategy to manage aerial diseases, particularly those caused by fungal aerial pathogens. This review examines how cultivar mixtures reduce disease incidence and severity using the phytobiome framework, identifying three major types of processes: (1) physical ones, which alter disease dynamics through dilution effects, barrier effects, and microclimate modifications; (2) processes that are mediated by microbial interactions, which influence disease severity via induced resistance and indirect plant-plant interactions mediated by the microbiome; and (3) processes involving direct plant-plant interactions, where danger signaling and signaling from healthy neighbors modulate plant physiology and immunity through resource management and molecular cues. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of how cultivar mixtures enhance disease resistance and emphasizes that direct plant-plant interactions are likely stronger contributors than so far considered.

Cytosolic Monodehydroascorbate Reductase 2 Promotes Oxidative Stress Signaling in Arabidopsis.

The antioxidative enzyme monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) is represented by five genes in Arabidopsis, including four that encode cytosolic and peroxisomal proteins. The in planta importance of these specific isoforms during oxidative stress remain to be characterised. T-DNA mutants for MDAR genes encoding cytosolic and peroxisomal isoforms were studied.

The root of plant-plant interactions: Belowground special cocktails.

Plants interact with each other via a multitude of processes among which belowground communication facilitated by specialized metabolites plays an important but overlooked role. Until now, the exact targets, modes of action, and resulting phenotypes that these metabolites induce in neighboring plants have remained largely unknown. Moreover, positive interactions driven by the release of root exudates are prevalent in both natural field conditions and controlled laboratory environments.

SeptoSympto: a precise image analysis of Septoria tritici blotch disease symptoms using deep learning methods on scanned images.

Background: Investigations on plant-pathogen interactions require quantitative, accurate, and rapid phenotyping of crop diseases. However, visual assessment of disease symptoms is preferred over available numerical tools due to transferability challenges. These assessments are laborious, time-consuming, require expertise, and are rater dependent.