Accessible research inJXB
Christine A. Raines · Journal of Experimental Botany · 2016
I am very pleased to be writing this editorial to you in 2016 as the Editor in Chief of Journal of Experimental Botany (JXB). JXB has a long history of publishing innovative research across the plant science discipline, underpinned by the experimental approach. This ethos has been vital in establishing the growing body of scientific knowledge important for our understanding of plant function, and this has enormous potential for tackling globally important issues at a time of unprecedented ecosystem change and massive population growth. However, continuing growth in the volume of scientific literature provides both an opportunity and a challenge to researchers, who need to stay abreast of developments outside their immediate area of expertise. A major goal of JXB has been to provide our readership with access to information not only within their specialism, but also to the broader field of plant science research through our Darwin Reviews and Special Issues. The eXtra Botany section was established to extend the accessibility of our research publications, and in a new initiative this year we are expanding this to ensure that the most exciting advances reported in the journal are presented to our readers in their wider context. In this issue, new Insight articles demonstrate the sheer range of science in JXB, and the way this will have impact far beyond the lab (Begara-Morales, 2016; Ghannoum, 2016; Mattivi, 2016). The papers cover science relating to basic metabolism, nutrient uptake and signalling; elevated CO2 and drought; and the food industry, breeding and economically important crops (Drew et al., 2016; Du et al., 2016; Jackson et al., 2016; Takase et al., 2016). These papers are not only important in terms of the exciting science they present but they also link to issues that are important in a broader societal context. We hope that you will find this section both informative and interesting and I would welcome comments from you on how we might expand the approach so that we can better serve our community. During this year we will be introducing additional initiatives to allow new scientific discoveries in plant science to be published rapidly and the findings made widely accessible to our readership.