Spatially variable barley root microbiomes do not imply weak host genetic control at field scale
In this preprint, Dong et al. quantified host genetic effects on root-associated fungal and bacterial communities and their modulation by soil spatial heterogeneity based on 16S and ITS metabarcoding data from 2,400 roots representing 386 barley lines across spring and winter field trials in Austria. Barley genotype exerted a detectable and reproducible effect on overall microbial community composition and on a subset of bacterial and fungal biomarker taxa associated with plant biomass. Field-scale spatial context influenced both whole-community structure and the abundance patterns of individual host-associated biomarkers. Microbial biomarkers differed markedly in their occupancy consistency, spatial dependency, and host Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)-by-soil spatial structure interaction patterns. The results support the view that host-associated microbiome recruitment is context dependent rather than a fixed filtering across field environments.
You can read the full Research Square preprint here: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-11145675/v1
Shaping the rhizosphere: How barley domestication altered root traits and microbiome interactions
In this review, Malekian et al. synthesize current knowledge on the structural and biochemical modifications in barley roots induced by domestication and examine their implications for microbial recruitment and function. Particular attention is given to how variations in root morphology, the composition of root exudates, and the assembly of microbial communities shape plant–microbe interactions and influence overall crop performance.
You can read the full article in Crop Science here: Shaping the rhizosphere: How barley domestication altered root traits and microbiome interactions - Malekian - 2026 - Crop Science - Wiley Online Library
Interkingdom signaling dynamics in the cereal holobiont: microbiome-mediated pathways to drought resilience, July 2026
Root-associated microbiomes enhance cereal drought resilience by modulating interconnected signaling, metabolic, transcriptional, and epigenetic pathways. This review synthesizes current knowledge from a holobiont perspective, highlighting microbiome-mediated regulation of key stress-response networks and identifying opportunities for microbiome-informed strategies to improve drought adaptation in cereals.
You can read the full article in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0981942826005097?via%3Dihub
Novel CRISPR/Cas9-Derived mlo Alleles in Barley: Resistance to Powdery Mildew and Microbiome Implications, February 2026
Eskildsen et al. used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate a powdery mildew resistant barley mlo mutants. While resistance markedly reduced the colonization of the powdery mildew causing fungus Blumeria hordei, mlo knockout had minimal effects on root microbiome diversity and composition, causing only limited, time-dependent shifts in a few microbial taxa.
You can read the full article in International Journal of Molecular Sciences here: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/4/1846
Analysing the Role of KIN10 in Directional Root Growth Regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana, April 2025
Retzer et al. presents results that suggests that the KIN10 subunit of the SnRK1 gene acts as an integrator of carbon status, metabolic reprogramming, and hormonal signalling to direct root growth decisions.
You can read the full bioRxiv preprint here: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.25.650732
SnRK1.1 Coordinates Organ-Specific Growth–Defense Programs via Transcriptomic Rewiring in Arabidopsis thaliana, April 2025
In this preprint, Kalachova et al. shows the role of the SnRK1 (Sucrose non-fermenting-1-Related Kinase 1) gene in the regulation of cellular responses affecting phenotypic responses in both roots and shoots.
You can read the full bioRxiv preprint here: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.25.650715
Simplex and multiplex CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of grain protease inhibitors in model and commercial barley improves hydrolysis of barley and soy storage proteins, March 2025
Simplex and multiplex CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of grain protease inhibitors in model and commercial barley improves hydrolysis of barley and soy storage proteins: In this paper, Panting et al. demonstrates the power of simplex and multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 for the generation of mutants used for targeted studies of gene functioning.
You can read the full article in Plant Biotechnology Journal here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.127698
Barley’s gluten challenge: A path to hordein-free food and malt, November 2024
Barley grains contain hordeins, which lead to allergic reactions in people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. In this review paper, Hanak et al. give an overview of hordeins and their implications for people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity and outline how breeding with the aid of new genomic techniques can facilitate the development of safe barley lines.
You can read the full article in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.109174
Harnessing root-soil-microbiota interactions for drought-resilient cereals, June 2024
This review by Gholizadeh et al. discusses how interactions between roots, soil and microbiota can improve the soil environment and cereal plant fitness under drought and suggests a roadmap for harnessing the benefits of these interactions for drought-resilient cereals.
You can read the full article in Microbiological Research here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.127698
Dynamic Dark Root Chamber – Advancing non-invasive phenotyping of roots kept in darkness using infared imaging, February 2024
In this pre-print paper, Simon Pree et al. presents their improved imaging system that enables continuous monitoring and image acquisition to track the dynamic development of root architecture under controlled growth conditions.
You can read the full bioRxiv preprint here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.16.580252v1
Genome editing to re-domesticate and accelerate use of barley crop wild relatives, December 2023
This review outlines how using genebank collections, digital sequence information and new breeding technologies, re-domesticated barley can be produced with improved characteristics, while retaining the resilience and adaptation of the original material.
You can read the full article in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1331577/full
Deciphering the biological processes in root hairs required for N-self-fertilizing cereals, December 2023
In this review, Simon Pree et al. discuss the latest knowledge on the role of root hairs and root hair exudation in plant-microbiome interactions and outline how this knowledge can be applied to develop cereals better equipped to benefit from N2 fixing bacteria. Further, the review describes non-destructive methods for the study of root hair growth and discusses their limitations.
You can read the full article in Frontiers in Plant Physiology here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphgy.2023.1308534
Editorial: Highlights of the 2nd D(dark grown)-root meeting, Katarzyna Retzer and Verena, June 2023
In this editorial, Katarzyna Retzer and Verena Ibl presents the main points of the articles published within the Frontiers in Plant Science Research Topic “Highlights of the 2nd D(dark grown)-root meeting”
You can read the full article in Frontiers in Plant Science here: doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1227490
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