All Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research articles
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NewsA new tool for parsing the ‘metabolic dialogue’ between microorganisms
Scientists have developed an innovative system – called MetaFlowTrain – that allows the study of metabolic exchange and interactions within microbial communities under different environmental conditions.
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NewsGatekeeping barriers manage communications between plants and bacteria
For over a century, the Casparian strip has been known as the root’s doorman, controlling what enters the plant. But a new study reveals it has a second job: regulating the delicate metabolic trade between plants and bacteria.
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NewsA blueprint for making cereal crops more resistant to fungal disease
Researchers have uncovered the structural interactions between a type of barley immune receptor that helps the crop to fight against devastating fungal disease, powdery mildew and other plant pathogens.
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NewsSalty soil sensitizes plants to an unconventional mode of bacterial toxicity
New research has shown how a single metabolite can render bacteria toxic to plants under high salt conditions. The findings may have important implications for agriculture and plant health in changing climates.
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NewsScientists create 3D image of the symbiotic communities around plant roots
Researchers report that microbial community composition varies along the root and that this is influenced by the root spatial metabolism.
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NewsScientists devise bacterial toolkit for colonizing plants
Researchers have discovered a core set of genes required by commensal bacteria to colonize their plant hosts. The findings may have broad relevance for understanding how bacteria establish successful host–commensal relationships.
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NewsStructural changes drive arms race between crop plants and fungal pathogens
Scientists shed light on how harmful fungi evade recognition by their plant hosts and aid infection.
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NewsChemical warfare against competitors drives colonization success in plant microbiota
Two natural chemicals - produced by a single bacterium - not only affect the structural organization of the root microbiota, but also act in concert to give the bacterium an advantage in colonizing and dominating the root niche.