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Agronomy
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Advancing Fruit Tree Breeding: Exploring Cutting-Edge Techniques in Genome Editing,...
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Advancing Fruit Tree Breeding: Exploring Cutting-Edge Techniques in Genome Editing, Genetic Transformation, and In Vitro Culture

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2024) | Viewed by 2694

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vera Pavese

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy
Interests: genetic resources; genetic transformation; molecular markers; nut and fruit tree species; biotechnologies; CRISPR/Cas9; protoplasts; in vitro culture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Roberto Botta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy
Interests: breeding; biotechnologies; embryogenesis; fruit quality; genetic resources; genetic transformation; molecular markers; nut and fruit tree species; in vitro culture; post-harvest; sustainable cultivation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristian Silvestri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, s.n.c., 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: fruit trees; biotic and abiotic stress tolerance; phenotypic and molecular characterization; biodiversity and conservation; fruit quality; tree physiology; conventional and unconventional breeding; micropropagation and plant tissue culture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Using traditional breeding techniques for woody plant species is still challenging due to their long biological and reproductive cycles; thus, the advent of New Plant Breeding Technologies (NPBTs), along with the CRISPR/Cas9 system, represents a viable solution for speeding up the breeding process, allowing for the precise mutation of target genes. However, until now, the use of these techniques in woody species has remained limited due to the significant occurrence of regeneration and transformation events. For these reasons, the main aims of this Special Issue are focused on setting up protocols for woody plant's genetic engineering, transgene-free methodology, and in vitro culture and regeneration.

Dr. Vera Pavese
Prof. Dr. Roberto Botta
Dr. Cristian Silvestri
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

  • genome editing
  • protoplast
  • transgene-free editing
  • in vitro culture
  • recalcitrance

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 7440 KiB  
Article
Review and Validation of Plant Gene Function Research Methods Bypassing Tissue Culture
by Huanghuang Jiang, Suya Huang, Jiayi Wang, Deming Sun, Min Wang, Su Lin, Jinhua Liu, Kai Xu, Bei Liu and Haijie Ma
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030603 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 703
Abstract
The genetic transformation of plants has provided fundamental insights into plant biology. However, the genetic transformation systems for most horticultural plants remain incomplete. Genome editing has significantly contributed to the improvement of crop traits, but it heavily relies on effective genetic transformation. Currently, [...] Read more.
The genetic transformation of plants has provided fundamental insights into plant biology. However, the genetic transformation systems for most horticultural plants remain incomplete. Genome editing has significantly contributed to the improvement of crop traits, but it heavily relies on effective genetic transformation. Currently, reducing costs and improving the efficiency of genetic transformation are crucial for promoting the widespread application of genome editing in plants. Here, we review the advances in plant genetic transformation research, performing analysis of three methods for plant gene function analysis that bypass tissue culture: Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated root genetic transformation, developmental regulators (DRs)-mediated genetic transformation, and virus-mediated genome editing. We analyzed transformation efficiency in strawberry and citrus using the A. rhizogenes infiltration method, employing GFP to label different subcellular locations to investigate the morphology of microfilaments, nuclei, and peroxisomes in strawberry cells. Sequence analysis revealed that a series of developmental regulators critical for enhancing genetic transformation efficiency in specific species are highly conserved across different plant species. Additionally, we successfully edited the endogenous Pds gene in Cas9-overexpressing transgenic tobacco using TRV and CLBV containing the gRNA module. These three methods offer the benefits of being cost-effective and time-efficient, providing valuable technical insights for the application of plant genome editing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Fruit Tree Breeding: Exploring Cutting-Edge Techniques in Genome Editing, Genetic Transformation, and In Vitro Culture)
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14 pages, 6231 KiB  
Article
Establishment of a Breeding Approach Combined with Gamma Ray Irradiation and Tissue Regeneration for Highbush Blueberry
by Xuan Yu, Haidi Yuan, Yihong Jin, Chuizheng Xia, Jiani Zhu, Jiali Che, Jiao Yang, Xiaofei Wang, Bingsong Zheng, Shufang Yang, Cristian Silvestri, Fuqiang Cui and Jianfang Zuo
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010217 - 16 Jan 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 743
Abstract
Blueberries are a relatively recently domesticated species, primarily bred through hybridization. Mutation breeding, which uses chemical or physical treatment to increase plant mutation, has not yet been applied to blueberries. This study introduces a mutation breeding strategy for the highbush blueberry cultivar Vaccinium [...] Read more.
Blueberries are a relatively recently domesticated species, primarily bred through hybridization. Mutation breeding, which uses chemical or physical treatment to increase plant mutation, has not yet been applied to blueberries. This study introduces a mutation breeding strategy for the highbush blueberry cultivar Vaccinium corymbosum. We established a high-efficiency regeneration protocol, which was applied to leaves and stems exposed to gamma irradiation using 60Co-γ rays at doses of 10, 20, 40, 80, and 120 gray (Gy), to increase the efficiency of mutated cells to develop into adventitious shoots. We determined that the median lethal dose (LD50) was approximately 56 Gy for leaf explants and 80 Gy for stem explants. Phenotypic variations, including changes in leaf color and growth characteristics, which may be due to altered plant response to environmental factors, were successfully observed in the first-generation (M1) plants. The height of M1 plants quantitatively decreased with increasing irradiation doses. To evaluate the mutants induced by each irradiation dose, whole-genome resequencing was conducted on individuals from each dose group, revealing significant genomic alterations at the 80 Gy dose. This approach provides a valuable reference for future blueberry breeding programs aimed at enhancing genetic diversity and improving cultivar performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Fruit Tree Breeding: Exploring Cutting-Edge Techniques in Genome Editing, Genetic Transformation, and In Vitro Culture)
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16 pages, 5516 KiB  
Article
Rubus idaeus RiACS1 Gene Is Involved in Ethylene Synthesis and Accelerates Fruit Ripening in Solanum lycopersicum
by Tiemei Li, Wenjiao Xin, Hang Zhang, Jiarong Jiang, Kunmiao Ding, Mengyu Liu, Nanyan Li and Guohui Yang
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010164 - 10 Jan 2025
Viewed by 712
Abstract
Raspberry is a berry whose fruit is not tolerant to storage; breeding varieties with extended storage time and high comprehensive quality are significant for raspberries in cold regions. 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase (ACS) is a limiting enzyme in the ethylene synthesis process, which [...] Read more.
Raspberry is a berry whose fruit is not tolerant to storage; breeding varieties with extended storage time and high comprehensive quality are significant for raspberries in cold regions. 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase (ACS) is a limiting enzyme in the ethylene synthesis process, which plays essential roles in fruit ripening and softening in plants. In this study, the RiACS1 gene in raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) variety ‘Polka’ was cloned. The RiACS1 gene overexpression vector was constructed and transformed into tomato plants using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens infection method to verify its function in their reproductive development. The RiACS1 gene, with a total length of 1476 bp, encoded a protein with 491 amino acids. The subcellular localization analysis of the RiACS1 protein in the tobacco transient expression system revealed that the RiACS1-GFP fusion protein was mainly located in the nucleus. Compared with the control, the flowering time and fruit color turning time of transgenic strains were advanced, and the fruit hardness was reduced. Overexpression of RiACS1 increased the activity of ACC synthase, ethylene release rate, and respiration rate during the transchromic phase. It changed the substance content, increased the content of vitamin C and anthocyanin in the fruit ripening process, and decreased the content of chlorophyll and titrable acid at the maturity stage. In addition, RiACS1 increased the relative expression levels of ethylene synthesis-related genes such as SlACS4, SlACO3, and SlACO1 in the fruit ripening process, while it decreased the expression levels of SlACS2 at the maturity stage. These results suggested that the RiACS1 gene could promote early flowering and fruit ripening in tomato plants. This study provided a basis for further modifying raspberry varieties using molecular biology techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Fruit Tree Breeding: Exploring Cutting-Edge Techniques in Genome Editing, Genetic Transformation, and In Vitro Culture)
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