Reproductive Isolation and Its Role in Crop Evolution and Agronomic Practice
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editors
Interests: perennial rice; reproductive isolation; hybrid sterility; de novo domestication of wild rice
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Reproductive isolation plays a critical role in the speciation and the evolution of biodiversity, yet it poses significant challenges in crop breeding by hindering the transfer of valuable traits across species or subspecies. This Special Issue, “Reproductive Isolation and Its Role in Crop Evolution and Agronomic Practice”, explores this dual nature—as both an evolutionary driver and a practical barrier in distant hybridization breeding. We seek contributions that investigate the genetic and molecular underpinnings of reproductive barriers across a variety of crops, including cereals, legumes, and horticultural species. Studies focusing on key genetic loci, killer–protector mechanisms, gamete elimination, and chromosomal rearrangements underlying hybrid incompatibility are especially encouraged. We also invite work on translational strategies to overcome reproductive isolation, for instance, through pyramiding compatibility genes and gene editing. Submissions may span genetic, molecular, cellular, phenotypic, and evolutionary scales, with an emphasis on mechanistic discovery and breeding applications. This Special Issue aims to bring evolutionary biology and agricultural science together, facilitating a more efficient use of genetic resources and enhancing crop resilience and productivity.
Prof. Dr. Jiangyi Yang
Dr. Encarnación Ortega Pastor
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
- hybrid sterility
- reproductive isolation
- quantitative trait loci mapping
- crop evolution
- wide compatibility
- hybrid incompatibility
- hybrid inviability
- speciation
- domestication
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