Special Issues
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Advances in Crop Genetics and Breeding for Sustainable Agriculture

Submission Deadline: 31 October 2026 View: 892 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editor(s)

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

    PsSEP3L1 Positively Regulates Petal Number in Tree Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) by Interacting with MADS-Box Family Proteins

    Renjie Li, Ruiya Li, Yuying Li, Lili Guo, Qi Guo, Xiangnan He, Yunxin Zhou, Xiaogai Hou
    Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.083737
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Crop Genetics and Breeding for Sustainable Agriculture)
    Abstract SEP3, one of the SEPALLATA (SEP) genes, plays a crucial role in the regulation of floral organ morphogenesis in plants. However, its specific function and molecular regulatory mechanisms remain largely unclear in tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.). In this study, the PsSEP3L1 sequence of the tree peony cultivar ‘Luoyang Hong’ was obtained by homologous cloning. The open reading frame of PsSEP3L1 is 738 bp and encodes 245 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PsSEP3L1 was most closely related to the SEP3 homolog from cassava. The expression level of PsSEP3L1 in petals, petaloid petals, and stamens was significantly higher than… More >

  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Systematic Analysis of the FLA Gene Family and Expression Profiling in Soybean Varieties with Varying Stem Thickness

    Mazin Ahmed Abdelraouf, Xiaoqi He, Hind Abdelmonim Elsanosi, Tiantian Zhu, Jinghui Shi, Ullah Habib, Li Song
    Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.079749
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Crop Genetics and Breeding for Sustainable Agriculture)
    Abstract The fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein (FLA) family is involved in important plant wall formation and mechanical strength of the stems, and has never been systematically characterized in soybean (Glycine max), a huge crop in which stem lodging has been the cause of significant losses in yield. Here, we found that the soybean genome has 64 GmFLA genes, or a considerable increase over Arabidopsis, rice, and poplar, and these genes were grouped into three phylogenetic clusters (A, B, and C) that have varied domain structures. Evolutionary studies showed that duplication of segments was the most common cause of family… More >

  • 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, Vol.95, No.3, 2026, 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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