Overview

• Research in Arabidopsis shows that wounds in the periderm allow ethylene to escape and oxygen to enter, triggering barrier regeneration.
• An intact periderm normally traps ethylene and restricts oxygen to maintain hormone balance until damage occurs.
• Completion of the new periderm restores its gas‐impermeable properties, causing ethylene buildup and oxygen depletion that signal healing to stop.
• The findings were published July 2 in Nature by a team from the University of Helsinki in collaboration with University of Oxford oxygen‐sensing experts.
• Researchers are now investigating how to enhance this gas‐mediated feedback loop to strengthen crop barriers and reduce food spoilage.