Special Issues
Table of Content

Advances in Crop Genetics and Breeding for Sustainable Agriculture

Submission Deadline: 31 October 2026 View: 422 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editors

Prof. Mario A. Pagnotta

Email: pagnotta@unitus.it

Affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Forest scieNcEs, Tuscia University, Viterbo, 01100, Italy

Homepage:

Research Interests: molecular markers, conservation genetics, plant biology, molecular genetics, genetic diversity, genetics, PCR, primer, genotyping, cloning

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Summary

Crop production is increasingly challenged by climate change and the shift toward low-input systems, which require more efficient water use to minimize environmental impacts while maintaining food security. Therefore, it is essential to improve crop tolerance to simultaneous abiotic and biotic stresses, providing a more accurate reflection of real-world agricultural conditions. Smart, future-ready breeding programs must systematically integrate traits that strengthen crop resilience and adaptability to these emerging challenges to ensure sustainable agriculture. Significant progress in crop genetics and breeding has been driven by recent technological innovations that enhance the precision, speed, and effectiveness of developing improved crop varieties. Modern breeding strategies now integrate genomic, phenotypic, and computational tools to accelerate the identification of beneficial traits and their deployment into elite germplasm. Genomic Selection, Marker-Assisted Selection, CRISPR–Cas Genome Editing, Speed Breeding, Pan-Genomics and Pangenome-Based Breeding, etc., are some of the new tools in crop genetics and breeding. The present special issue will deal with themes and strategies to improve the knowledge and selection of germplasm for sustainable agriculture.


Graphic Abstract

Advances in Crop Genetics and Breeding for Sustainable Agriculture

Keywords

genomic selection, marker-assisted selection, CRISPR–cas genome editing, speed breeding, pan-genomics and pangenome-based breeding, high-throughput phenotyping, integration of multi-omics (genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics), use of crop wild relatives (CWRS) and exotic germplasm, hybrid breeding improvements, climate-smart breeding

Published Papers


  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Direct Application of Fresh Spent Mushroom Substrates Enhances Rice Grain Yields

    Hengdong Zhang, Rongji Wang, Jianchong Zhang, Fali Zhang, Zhiwang He
    Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.077976
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Crop Genetics and Breeding for Sustainable Agriculture)
    Abstract Spent mushroom substrate (SMS), the residual byproduct of mushroom cultivation, represents a nutrient-rich agro-residues with potential for paddy field application. This study evaluated the effect of direct SMS application on rice yield, yield components, biomass production, and nitrogen uptake (NU), aiming to provide useful information for fresh SMS utilization in paddy. Field experiments were conducted using a split-plot design with three replications, three SMS rates (0, 9, and 18 t ha−1 dry matter) as the main plots and three nitrogen (N) (0, 90, 180 kg ha−1) as subplots in 2023 and 2024. Each plot was planted… More >

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