Sorghum's resistance to Striga: Two key genes fight against crop parasites

Chinese scientists have identified two key genes responsible for sorghum's resistance to Striga, a parasitic plant that causes significant crop losses. The breakthrough, which also highlights the potential of AI to predict key amino acid sites in strigolactone (SL) transporters, could have wide-ranging applications in enhancing parasitic plant resistance across various crops.

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How plants become bushy, or not: New study sheds light on hormone that controls branching

For many plants, more branches means more fruit. But what causes a plant to grow branches? New research from the University of California, Davis shows how plants break down the hormone strigolactone, which suppresses branching, to become more "bushy." Understanding how strigolactone is regulated could have big implications for many crop plants.

The transcription factor SPL13 mediates strigolactone suppression of shoot branching by inhibiting cytokinin synthesis in Solanum lycopersicum

SPL13 acts downstream of strigolactone to suppress lateral bud growth by inhibiting cytokinin synthesis, and also participates in the feedback regulation of str

Structural analysis of a hormone-bound Striga strigolactone receptor - Nature Plants

Strigolactone (SL) regulates plant development. Structural analysis shows that when SL binds its receptor ShHTL5, conformational changes occur including the creation of internal tunnels that posit an explanation for how SL by-products exit the receptor after signalling.