Highlights•To date, metabolites from more than 10 different metabolic classes have been
identified as lignin building blocks, totaling 35 monomers.•Despite this flexibility, limitations …

A constant shift of society's dependence from petroleum-based energy resources towards
renewable biomass-based has been the key to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions …

Wood is an abundant and renewable feedstock for the production of pulp, fuels, and
biobased materials. However, wood is recalcitrant toward deconstruction into cellulose and …

Leaf architecture directly influences canopy structure, consequentially affecting yield. We
discovered a maize (Zea mays) mutant with aberrant leaf architecture, which we named …

Lignocelluloses from plant cell walls are attractive resources for sustainable biofuel
production. However, conversion of lignocellulose to biofuel is more expensive than other …

The transcription factor superfamily, APETALA2/ethylene response factor, is involved in
plant growth and development, as well as in environmental stress responses. Here, an …

Forward genetics remains a powerful method for revealing the genes underpinning
organismal form and function, and for revealing how these genes are tied together in gene …

Grain yield and its primary determinants, grain number and weight, are important traits in
cereal crops that have been well studied; however, the genetic basis of and interactions …

The biotrophic fungus Ustilago maydis causes smut disease on maize (Zea mays), which is
characterized by immense plant tumours. To establish disease and reprogram organ …

Reducing lignin concentration in lignocellulosic biomass can increase forage digestibility for
ruminant livestock and saccharification yields of biomass for bioenergy. In sorghum …