Food source diversification is crucial in the face of food insecurity stemming from crop failures or reduced productivity resulting from pests, diseases, and climate change. Among underutilized crops, adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) stands out as a promising alternative to staple foods. This heirloom crop adapts well to abiotic stresses and is increasingly recognized as a functional food, with grains rich in vitamins and minerals, and possessing medicinal properties. It is also considered a cash crop for farmers. As consumer demands rise, adlay cultivation and expansion are anticipated, necessitating stable production and quality. A comprehensive review of its diseases, associated pathogens, and mycotoxin contaminants is currently lacking. To bridge this gap, this paper reviews the pathogens and mycotoxigenic microbes of adlay. Fungal diseases, such as leaf blight and smut, are the crop’s major diseases. Fusarium mycotoxins predominate in seed contamination. This paper also discusses management options for adlay diseases. Preference for cultural and phytosanitary strategies over synthetic chemical applications for disease and mycotoxin management is also highlighted. Nevertheless, adlay may benefit from a sustainable and innovative integrated pest management approach, including biological control.

Acclimation, the ability of an organism to modify its physiology, anatomy, or morphology in response to environmental stimuli, is a cornerstone of tree adaptation and survival in dynamic environments. Understanding the mechanisms behind acclimation is critical to addressing today’s pressing ecological and environmental challenges, including habitat loss, biodiversity conservation, and the impacts of climate change. In particular, drought and heat stress are increasingly urgent research targets due to their rising prevalence and intensity under ongoing global warming. Arboreta, specialized botanical, multi-species collections of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants, offer unique opportunities to study stress acclimation in semi-natural settings. These living laboratories provide invaluable data for understanding species-specific responses to climate stressors outside natural climatic optima, simulating effects of predicted future climatic scenarios and exploring long-term adaptive strategies. This paper highlights how arboreta contribute to advancing knowledge of climate acclimation in trees and shrubs and discusses their broader implications for ecology, conservation, and climate resilience. Furthermore, it underscores the need for enhanced coordination and standardization among arboreta worldwide to optimize their potential as critical research platforms and improve global conservation strategies. However, current research is hampered by the limitations of field and laboratory studies, which often struggle to isolate specific environmental drivers or replicate long-term ecological dynamics, and by the lack of coordination and standardized protocols among arboreta.

Cranberry Lake (Ontario, Canada), the shallowest lake in the Rideau Canal system, has experienced multiple stressors over its ~220-year history including flooding, settlement, invasive species, and anthropogenic climate change. It was formed through hydrological manipulations starting with the inundation of surrounding marshlands to build two mill dams (1803-1816) followed by extensive flooding (1831) during canal construction. We track the inception and environmental history of this mesotrophic, polymictic lake using diatom changes preserved in a <sup>210</sup>Pb-dated sediment core. Diatoms first accumulated in the record ca. 1800 CE, signalling the transition from a marshland to an emergent lake. A shift in dominance from an epiphytic assemblage to open-water taxa ca. 1830 CE marked the establishment of present-day Cranberry Lake following canal flooding. Despite this substantial ecosystem alteration, the most pronounced change in the diatom record occurred ca. 1980 CE, with increases in planktonic taxa. Regional temperatures accelerated over this time, particularly since the 21<sup>st</sup> century, and nuisance algal bloom reports began in 2012. Monitoring data available from 2014 to 2023 indicated stable lake nutrient concentrations, suggesting recent diatom shifts correspond with limnological changes associated with longer, warmer ice-free periods. Warming-related alterations may also be driving blooms, as reported from other regional lakes.

Magnesium (Mg2+) is the most prevalent divalent cation in plant cells, yet its transport machinery remains uncharacterised in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), a globally important vegetable crop that is highly sensitive to Mg2+ deficiency. Here we report the genome-wide identification and functional annotation of nine MRS2/MGT-type Mg2+ transporter genes (CaMGTs) in the reference cultivar CM334. Phylogenetic analysis of these CaMGTs resolved five orthologous clades that mirror the evolutionary structure previously established for Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. All CaMGTs harbour the CorA domain and the Mg2+-selective GMN motif. Heterologous complementation of the Mg2+-transport-deficient Salmonella typhimurium mutant MM281 demonstrated that each CaMGT restored growth under Mg2+ limitation, albeit with divergent apparent affinities: CaMGT10 ≥ CaMGT7 > CaMGT4.1 ≈CaMGT6 ≫ remaining isoforms. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed tissue-biased expression—CaMGT10 in leaves, CaMGT3/4.2 in roots—and rapid transcriptional reprogramming under Mg²⁺starvation. Promoter cis-element profiling further predicted integration of light, hormone and stress signals, consistent with the observed differential induction patterns. Collectively, our findings establish that CaMGT family as a versatile and evolutionarily conserved Mg²⁺transport system that underpins Mg²⁺uptake, translocation and cellular homeostasis in Capsicum annuum. This data provide a molecular foundation for future functional characterization and breeding applications.

Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) is widely used in the brewing industry for its aromatic and bittering properties associated with hops’s unique phytochemistry. Although the brewing properties of different cultivars are believed to reflect total and relative amounts of bitter acids and prenylated flavonoids, few studies have investigated the relationship between these compounds among hop cultivars. A collection of hop samples (commercial pellets and field-grown infructescence) was extracted and analyzed using targeted profiling and untargeted metabolomic techniques for phytochemical comparisons based on cultivar use (aroma vs. bittering) and origin (Europe vs. North America). Marker compounds correlated positively with one another, most notably co- and ad-humulone (α-acids, r=0.90) and co- and ad-lupulone (ß-acids, r=0.72), each with xanthohumol. Relative to aroma cultivars, bittering hops contained higher levels of α-acids and, as revealed by untargeted metabolomics, certain ß-acid derivatives. North American hops had more n+adhumulone and a higher α-to-ß-acid ratio than European hops. Untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed higher levels of bitter acid metabolites in bitter and North American hops than aroma or European hop varieties. This study was the first to systematically compare various categories of hops using both targeted profiling and untargeted metabolomic approaches.

Documenting Indigenous and local knowledge is crucial to safeguard it amid biocultural crises. This study employed both qualitative and quantitative ethnobotanical methods to document the medicinal flora and fungi used by a mixed community in one of the least explored regions of western Nepal. A total of 124 species used to treat as many as 63 diseases and disorders were reported by 52 purposively selected informants. Asteraceae and Fabaceae were the most commonly used plant families, with herbs being the dominant growth form, represented by 64 species. Leaves were the most frequently used plant parts in medicinal formulations, followed by roots. Ninety-five percent of the species were gathered from the wild and primarily used to treat dermatological and gastrointestinal conditions, for which higher informant agreement was also recorded. Additionally, Dactylorhiza hatagirea and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora were the most valued species among the respondents. While this study identified a few novel uses, reports of similar uses for various species highlight the cultural exchange of knowledge and practices among communities. This study also examined threats to medicinal plants and recommended raising public awareness, along with developing locally adapted conservation strategies.

Understanding how genomic adaptation shapes species’ responses to climate change is essential for developing climate-resilient forests, as shifting conditions increasingly drive range shifts and maladaptation. This study investigates adaptive genomic variation in Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch), a widely distributed hardwood of eastern North America. Genome-wide SNP variation from 27 populations was analyzed using 3D-genotype-by-sequencing and two genotype–environment association methods: redundancy analysis and Gradient Forests. A total of 124 putatively adaptive loci were identified, linked to extreme minimum temperature, degree-days below 0°C, winter precipitation, and snowfall. Functional annotation revealed roles in stress response and transcriptional regulation. Patterns of adaptive variation showed a latitudinal gradient tied to winter severity and spatially heterogeneous responses to snowfall. Two distinct clusters of adaptive loci were identified along climate gradients, suggesting winter climate plays a dominant role in shaping local adaptation. Future climate projections (SSP5-8.5, 2041–2070) predict substantial shifts in adaptive alleles in the Northeastern Appalachians, Maritimes, and St. Lawrence River regions. Nevertheless, genetic offset across the range was relatively low, suggesting genomic resilience potentially supported by yellow birch’s autohexaploid genome and extensive gene flow, including adaptive introgression from hybridization with other Betula species. These findings support integrating genomic data into forest management.

Differential sensitivities of species’ phenologies to climate warming have the potential to alter species’ interactions, but this has rarely been studied for interactions among plant species. Over 12 years in a forest dominated by Acer saccharum in southern Québec, Canada, we studied the timing of canopy closure and of leaf-out and flowering in three understory herbs that depend strongly on the short period of high light in spring. For two species, Erythronium americanum and Trillium erectum, the duration of the period between leaf emergence (or flowering) and canopy closure was insensitive to spring temperature. However, for Claytonia caroliniana, leaf-out and flowering showed greater sensitivity to temperature compared to the canopy, resulting in an increase in the duration of high light with warmer temperatures. Leaf emergence and flowering showed similar temperature sensitivities for T. erectum and C. caroliniana. However, for E. americanum, leaf-out was more sensitive to temperature than flowering, thus challenging an assumption invoked in previous studies to estimate leaf-out dates from flowering dates. Overall, our results suggest that the strategy of “phenological escape” (emergence prior to canopy closure) will not be compromised by climate warming, with the potential for extended periods of high light for some species.

Peatland pools are crucial habitats for biodiversity, but peat extraction removes vegetation and drains sites, often eliminating pools. This study compared environmental conditions and vegetation in 59 pools from 14 restored Sphagnum peatlands (≥7 years post-restoration) with 26 pools from nine reference peatlands in Eastern Canada. We examined three restored pool types: (1) created pools, (2) spontaneous pools, and (3) open water in ditches. Pool type explained 19% of the variation in species composition, while regionality, morphology, and water chemistry accounted for 32%. Larger restored pools resembled reference pools morphologically and had higher dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen. Spontaneous pools exhibited elevated nitrogen (2.1 mg/L vs. 0.57 mg/L) and phosphorus (0.08 mg/L vs. 0.02 mg/L), and a higher pH that may favor non-target species, e.g., Typha latifolia. Reference pools had a uniform composition, comprising 20 associated species, whereas restored pools exhibited greater variability, reduced richness, and higher beta diversity. Post-restoration surveys emphasized the importance of deeper pools for water retention and chemical stability. Complementary measures, such as reintroducing typical pool species, are essential to ensure their establishment and enhance plant biodiversity in restored peatlands.

Climate change impacts Arctic ecosystems at rates four times the global average. Studying how species in these regions are responding will help conserve plant species at risk and informs understanding of current and future changes to Arctic landscapes. We explored herbaceous plant resiliency in this environment by asking how Arctic specialist Cerastium regelii Goldie (Regel’s chickweed) and generalist Stellaria longipes Ostenf. (longstalk starwort), a model of climate resilience, adapt to warming in High Arctic deserts, after observing them across a natural temperature gradient in a permafrost disruption in Resolute (Qausuittuq), Nunavut, Canada. S. longipes is a model of climate resilience, while little is known about the related C. regelii. In vitro warming studies showed S. longipes maximized growth at 24 °C with alteration of cytokinin metabolism, while C. regelii increased growth at 28 °C. These results highlight Stellaria longipes is self-limiting at higher temperatures and less temperature-dependent for its success, while C. regelii is positively affected by warming temperatures. Our study increases understanding of plant resiliency in Canada’s High Arctic, representing the first description of hormone profiling and the second of environmental responses for understudied Arctic specialist C. regelii.