Breakthrough and Innovation of Mutants in Genetic Improvement of Crop Varieties
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 317
Special Issue Editors
Interests: molecular biology; mutation breeding; genetic diversity; plant crops
Interests: cereal, biodiversity; climate change; plant genetic resources; crop protection; ecology; sustainable agriculture; gene bank; genetics; plant breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Special Issue explores the role of induced mutations in advancing crop breeding and genetic improvement. Mutation breeding, which began in the 1930s with breakthroughs by Hermann Muller and Lewis Stadler, led to the development of crops with higher yields, disease resistance, and stress tolerance. By the 1960s, organizations like FAO and IAEA promoted nuclear techniques, resulting in notable crops like Sharbati Sonora wheat. Advances in molecular genetics, such as DNA markers and marker-assisted selection (MAS), further improved mutation breeding in the late 20th century.
This Issue highlights recent advancements and challenges in mutation breeding, focusing on mutant-based innovations for agriculture. It addresses critical topics like sustainability, food security, and climate change, integrating traditional and modern approaches. Key topics include classical mutagenesis, CRISPR editing, MAS, genomic selection, and bioinformatics.
The Issue showcases innovations like CRISPR-Cas9 for precise genetic modifications, enabling stress-resilient, high-yield crops. With over 3200 mutant varieties released, technologies such as precision mutagenesis and biofortified crops enhance agriculture.
We seek papers on molecular mechanisms, DNA markers, stress-resistant crops, historical reviews, and ethical considerations, encouraging submissions from fields like genetics, biotechnology, and plant breeding.
Prof. Dr. Nasya Tomlekova
Prof. Dr. Jerzy Henryk Czembor
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- mutagenesis
- MAS
- plant genetic resources
- CRISPR editing
- plant breeding
- genomic selection
- bioinformatics
- cutting-edge research
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