Plant synthetic biology is a rapidly advancing multidisciplinary research area that applies engineering principles to design, construct, and implement new plant capabilities at the molecular, cellular, and whole organism scales. Synthetic gene circuits are important tools for enabling increased customizability in the control of gene expression in plants, with widespread applications spanning new approaches for basic biology to introduction of new traits for advancing agriculture. In this review, we first aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of synthetic circuits. Next, we discuss recent progress in the construction of advanced synthetic gene circuits in plants for programmable control of gene expression. Finally, we discuss the current challenges associated with developing and applying effective circuits while also highlighting future prospects and research directions, including quantitative measurement, high-throughput testing, and circuit modelling.

Pangenome graphs are revolutionising evolutionary and population genomics by moving beyond linear reference genomes to represent the full spectrum of sequence diversity within and across species. This review traces the field’s progression from reference-augmented graphs to assembly-based, alignment-first approaches that capture complex structural variation with reduced bias. We examine key strategies for graph construction, genotyping and implementing graph-aware tools in functional genomics, including transcriptomics and epigenomics. While much of the work to date has focused on humans, diverse and structurally complex plant genomes pose unique challenges that require further methodological innovation. Key bottlenecks – including visualisation, scalability and integration with multi-omic data – persist. By outlining trade-offs among current tools and emphasising the need for rigorous evaluation frameworks, we argue that progress will depend on community-driven efforts to unify graph construction, genotyping and interpretation. Despite technical hurdles, pangenome graphs offer a powerful foundation for more inclusive evolutionary and population genomics.

Understanding wood formation is critical for interpreting tree growth and carbon allocation under changing environmental conditions. While major progress has been made for gymnosperms, harmonized approaches for studying xylogenesis in angiosperms remain limited. Here, we present practical recommendations for observing and analysing xylogenesis in angiosperm trees, illustrated from examples from temperate and sub-Mediterranean forests. The perspective includes guidance on identifying xylem cell types in histological sections, defining developmental phenophases and establishing a workflow for data collection (and analysis). Annotated images are provided to support reproducibility and inter-observer consistency. We also discuss key challenges unique to angiosperms, including cell-type-specificities and wood type differences. Future research priorities include conserving histological images, extending xylogenesis to branches and coarse roots, enabling cross-biome comparisons and advancing kinetic analysis. This framework supports the coordinated expansion of angiosperm xylogenesis studies, enabling deeper insights into tree functioning in a changing world.

Recent advancements in data science and artificial intelligence have significantly transformed plant sciences, particularly through the integration of image recognition and deep learning technologies. These innovations have profoundly impacted various aspects of plant research, including species identification, disease detection, cellular signaling analysis, and growth monitoring. This review summarizes the latest computational tools and methodologies used in these areas. We emphasize the importance of data acquisition and preprocessing, discussing techniques such as high-resolution imaging and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photography, along with image enhancement methods like cropping and scaling. Additionally, we review feature extraction techniques like colour histograms and texture analysis, which are essential for plant identification and health assessment. Finally, we discuss emerging trends, challenges, and future directions, offering insights into the applications of these technologies in advancing plant science research and practical implementations.

In 1957, Skoog and Miller published their seminal work on the effects of hormones upon plant growth. By varying the concentrations of auxin and cytokinin, they observed dramatic differences in shoot and root growth from tobacco stem cultures. Their finding that quantitative differences in hormone concentrations could dramatically alter the fate of developing organs provided a foundation for understanding organ formation and tissue regeneration. Their in vitro assays established plant propagation techniques that were critical for regenerating transgenic plants. Here, I discuss their original paper, what led to their findings and its impact on our understanding of hormone interactions, how plants regenerate and in vitro tissue culture techniques.

The micronutrient chloride (Cl―) plays key roles in plant physiology, from photosystem II and vacuolar ATPase activity to osmoregulation, turgor maintenance and drought resilience, while also posing toxicity risks at high concentrations. This review examines Cl― uptake, transport and homeostasis, focussing on adaptations balancing its dual roles as a nutrient and toxicant. Key transporters, including NPF, SLAH, ALMT, CLC and CCC families, mediate Cl― fluxes to maintain ionic balance and prevent toxicity. Plants employ strategies such as selective uptake and vacuolar compartmentalization to cope with high salinity. Cl― also influences nitrogen-use efficiency and plant productivity. Advances in transporter biology reveal the role of Cl― in water-use efficiency, drought resilience and stress adaptation.

Potassium is an essential macronutrient required for plant growth and development. Over the recent decade, an important signalling role of K+ has emerged. Here, we discuss some aspects of such signalling at the various levels of plant functional organisation. The topic covered include: (1) mechanisms of long-distant K+ transport in the xylem and phloem and the molecular identity and regulation of K+ loading and unloading into plant vasculature; (2) essentiality and physiological roles of K+ cycling between shoots and roots; (3) plant sensing and signalling of low K+; (4) maintenance of K+ homeostasis at the cellular level; (5) stress-induced modulation of cytosolic K+ as a signal in plant adaptive responses to hostile environment; (6) stress-specific K+ “signatures” and mechanisms of their decoding by regulation of purine metabolism and H+-ATPase activity; (7) cytosolic K+ loss as a metabolic switch and a regulator of autophagy; and (8) vacuolar K+ transport and sensing.

Root water transport has been viewed as primarily limited by the radial component, with the axial pathway considered highly conductive and non-limiting. This is supported by theoretical estimates of axial conductance using the Hagen–Poiseuille equation. However, increasing evidence indicates that actual axial conductance is often nearly an order of magnitude lower than predicted, challenging assumptions that it does not limit water uptake. In this review, we discuss how recent model inversion approaches, guided by root hydraulic conductance measurements, have revealed that water transport can be co-limited by radial and axial conductance. We explore possible explanations for this co-limitation, with particular attention to root topology. Finally, we highlight how drought-induced adjustments in xylem vessel traits can reduce axial conductance, contributing to water conservation and cavitation resistance, thereby supporting drought adaptation strategies. Leveraging this overlooked limitation opens new avenues for breeding crops with improved water-use efficiency and resilience to drought .

The ability of plants to absorb CO2 for photosynthesis and transport water from root to shoot depends on the reversible swelling of guard cells that open stomatal pores in the epidermis. Despite decades of experimental and theoretical work, the biomechanical drivers of stomatal opening and closure are still not clearly defined. We combined mechanical principles with a growing body of knowledge concerning water flux across the plant cell membrane and the biomechanical properties of plant cell walls to quantitatively test the long-standing hypothesis that increasing turgor pressure resulting from water uptake drives guard cell expansion during stomatal opening. To test the alternative hypothesis that water influx is the main motive force underlying guard cell expansion, we developed a system dynamics model accounting for water influx. This approach connects stomatal kinetics to whole plant physiology by including values for water flux arising from water status in the plant .