To dissect natural genetic variation in crops facilitates molecular breeding. To date, most published causal variants underlying phenotypic diversity are involved in either gene expression or protein sequence polymorphisms. Natural variation at post-transcriptional level remains elusive in plants.

Multiple anthropogenic pressures can occur simultaneously, which is caused for concern because multifaceted pressures could lead to dramatic declines in ecosystem functions. Can biodiversity help to buffer the negative effects of the co-occurrence of multiple pressures? Read this report for details.

The genesis of a long-term field data set can be prosaic: a researcher measures something, then comes back and repeats that measurement again, and again. It is not always clear what might emerge from the accretion of data over the long term; sometimes the focus evolves as the study progresses.

Changes in ambient temperature influence crop production. Understanding of how crops sense and respond to temperature is thus crucial for sustainable agriculture. The thermosensitive genic male-sterile (TGMS) lines provide a system to investigate the underlying mechanisms.