Conserved signalling components coordinate epidermal patterning and cuticle deposition in barley.

Faced with terrestrial threats, land plants seal their aerial surfaces with a lipid-rich cuticle. To breathe, plants interrupt their cuticles with adjustable epidermal pores, called stomata, that regulate gas exchange, and develop other specialised epidermal cells such as defensive hairs. Mechanisms coordinating epidermal features remain poorly understood. Addressing this, we studied two loci whose allelic variation causes both cuticular wax-deficiency and misarranged stomata in barley, identifying the underlying genes, Cer-g/ HvYDA1, encoding a YODA-like (YDA) MAPKKK, and Cer-s/ HvBRX-Solo, encoding a single BREVIS-RADIX (BRX) domain protein. Both genes control cuticular integrity, the spacing and identity of epidermal cells, and barley's distinctive epicuticular wax blooms, as well as stomatal patterning in elevated CO2 conditions. Genetic analyses revealed epistatic and modifying relationships between HvYDA1 and HvBRX-Solo, intimating that their products participate in interacting pathway(s) linking epidermal patterning with cuticular properties in barley. This may represent a mechanism for coordinating multiple adaptive features of the land plant epidermis in a cultivated cereal.

Overcoming plant blindness in science, education, and society.

Plants are amazing organisms. They make up around 80% of all biomass on Earth, play important roles in almost all ecosystems, and support humans and other animals by providing shelter, oxygen, and food. Despite this, many people have a tendency to overlook plants, a phenomenon known as "plant blindness." Here, we explore the reasons behind plant blindness, discuss why some people are relatively unaffected by it, and promote education around plant science to overcome this phenomenon and raise awareness of the importance of plants in the wider community. Summary Many people tend to overlook the importance of plants in the biosphere. This phenomenon is described as "plant blindness," a term proposed 20 years ago to denote the inability of a person to notice plants and/or appreciate their significance. To explore why some people seem immune to plant blindness, we asked plant scientists on Twitter why they became interested in plants. Many replied that their interest developed from early experiences in life or inspiring teachers at school. Others were attracted to the scientific disciplines related to plant science or valued the contribution of plants to global ecosystems and human civilization. Based on these anecdotes and the empirical findings of other researchers, we argue that plants should play a more central role in biological education, from the early years to university and beyond. Furthermore, as plant scientists, we should do our best to raise awareness about the fascinating aspects of plants and their importance in human affairs within the wider community.