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Abstract Understanding crop plants responses to abiotic stress is increasingly important in this changing climate. We asked experts how discoveries in Arabidopsis thaliana have translated into advancements in abiotic crop stress resilience. The theme is that core regulatory networks identified in Arabidopsis are conserved in crops, but the molecular regulation varies among species. For cold tolerance, the regulatory framework is conserved, but MAP Kinase signaling promotes degradation of the INDUCER OF DREB1 EXPRESSION transcription factor in Arabidopsis but inhibits it in rice. For hypoxia, manipulation of the oxygen sensing Arg/N-degron pathway discovered in Arabidopsis has improved waterlogging and flood tolerance in barley, maize, wheat, and soybean. For light signaling, overexpression of PHYTOCHROME B reduces shade avoidance, improving yield under dense planting in potato, soybean, and maize. In rice, understanding of nitrogen responsiveness, uptake, and transport in Arabidopsis has inspired engineering of the NRT1 nitrate transceptor to increase yield. Arabidopsis research has provided leads for genetic manipulations that may improve drought resilience in crop species. Growing plants in space generates a complex array of stresses, and Arabidopsis experiments in the space station prepare for future development of robust crops as integral components of the life support systems. For environmental regulation of flowering time, the role of the GIGANTEA - CONTANS - FLOWERING LOCUS T module elucidated in Arabidopsis is largely conserved in crop plants, although additional regulators modify short-day responsiveness in rice, soybean, chrysanthemum, and potato. 

An unwelcoming climate and culture at scientific conferences is an obstacle to retaining scientists with marginalized identities. Here we describe how a number of professional societies in the plant sciences, mostly based in the United States, collaborated on a project called ROOT & SHOOT (short for Rooting Out Oppression Together and SHaring Our Outcomes Transparently) to make conferences in the field more inclusive. The guidelines we developed, and our efforts to implement them in 2023 and 2024, are summarized here to assist other conference organizers with creating more inclusive conferences.