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Leaf development describes the coordinated morphogenesis process by which a leaf is formed, and grows to become a mature photosynthetic organ. It starts from the initiation of a primordium in the shoot meristem, and ends with the fully structured leaf, composed of several cell types such as trichomes, guard cells, epidermal and mesophyll layers, and vascular cells.
The authors reveal that failure to activate PGL1, a polygalacturonase degrading cell wall pectin, in the tcpΔ7 mutant results in enhanced endoreplication and cell enlargement, unraveling a critical role of pectin in controlling endocycle progression and cell growth.
An autonomous robotic platform enables high-throughput, low-cost, and high-volume phenotypic measurements in maize canopies, facilitating the understanding of genotype, environment, and management interactions (GxExM) with high accuracy.
During development, what determines whether precursors differentiate or continue to divide? For stomatal lineage ground cells, division potential is the product of a cell’s neighbourhood, nuclear size and transcription factor dynamics.
Photosynthesis of leaves located above maize ear provides major source of carbohydrates for grain filling. Here, the authors report the cloning of a MADS-box encoding gene responsible for increased leaf number above the ear, enhancing maize source strength while maintaining source-sink balance.
The flat structure of a leaf blade enables it to function as a photosynthetic organ for efficient light capture. The leaf rim or the edge-most region of leaf margin directs the planar growth of both leaves and ligules in grasses.
Leaf development follows a common principle but is also flexibly tuned in different species in a spatiotemporal manner. A novel regulatory mechanism controlling leaflet formation has been identified in Medicago.
