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Molecular Breeding and Genetics Research in Plants, 2nd Edition
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Molecular Breeding and Genetics Research in Plants, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 5234

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Shimeles Tilahun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agriculture and Life Sciences Research Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
Interests: horticulture; plant physiology; plant tissue culture; postharvest management; plant antioxidants; food science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant breeding and genetic research are now increasingly affecting people’s lives. To meet the demand for food and other biomaterials, new technologies focused on plant breeding need to receive more attention. Preliminary information on the genetic architecture of traits can be achieved through quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genomic selection (GS), and transcriptomics. Improvement of monogenic or oligogenic traits or their introgression into other elite varieties is straightforward. In addition, the deployment of new breeding techniques such as gene editing, coupled with genome-wide screening, allows for more precise changes in traits. Although significant progress has been made in plant breeding research, continued population growth, constraints such as abiotic and biotic stresses, and unpredictable climate change require us to continue to focus on plant breeding and genetic research.

Dr. Shimeles Tilahun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • genetic basis
  • genomic selection/prediction
  • molecular breeding
  • biotic and abiotic stresses
  • qPCR

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3461 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity of a Wild Actinidia arguta Population in Changbai Mountain Determined by Simple Sequence Repeat Markers
by Xiaowu Sun, Guangli Shi, Songze Li, Jun Ai, Dan Sun, Zhenxing Wang, Peijin Ni, Zhendong Zhang, Shuaiming Chen, Zelong Du, Xiang Li and Fan Zhang
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2025, 47(3), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb47030207 - 19 Mar 2025
Viewed by 233
Abstract
With the decrease in the number of natural populations of Actinidia arguta, there is an urgent need to collect A. arguta germplasm resources and explore their genetic diversity for better management and protection. In this study, 31 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers [...] Read more.
With the decrease in the number of natural populations of Actinidia arguta, there is an urgent need to collect A. arguta germplasm resources and explore their genetic diversity for better management and protection. In this study, 31 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to identify 148 wild A. arguta germplasms from six natural populations in Changbai Mountain, China, and the genetic diversity of their leaf quality traits was subsequently evaluated. SSR analysis revealed rich genetic diversity among different individuals and within populations of A. arguta. Molecular variance analysis determined that the genetic diversity of wild A. arguta mainly came from within the populations (95% variance component ratio), while only a small part originated from among populations (5% variance component ratio). Abundant genetic variations were observed in the leaf quality traits of the different A. arguta resources with a high genetic diversity index (0.13–1.23). Leaf quality trait clustering and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA) clustering analysis showed similar classification results. Population structure analysis divided 148 individuals into three subgroups. Our results indicate that the populations of A. arguta in Changbai Mountain have large genetic variation and high genetic diversity. This study broadens the genetic basis of the A. arguta breeding germplasm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding and Genetics Research in Plants, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 3466 KiB  
Article
Construction and Validation of CRISPR/Cas Vectors for Editing the PDS Gene in Banana (Musa spp.)
by Marcelly Santana Mascarenhas, Fernanda dos Santos Nascimento, Luana Maria Pacheco Schittino, Livia Batista Galinari, Lucymeire Souza Morais Lino, Andresa Priscila de Souza Ramos, Leandro Eugenio Cardamone Diniz, Tiago Antônio de Oliveira Mendes, Claudia Fortes Ferreira, Janay Almeida dos Santos-Serejo and Edson Perito Amorim
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(12), 14422-14437; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46120865 - 20 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1633
Abstract
Bananas and plantains are important staple food crops affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. The gene editing technique via Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated with the Cas protein (CRISPR/Cas) has been used as an important tool for development of cultivars with [...] Read more.
Bananas and plantains are important staple food crops affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. The gene editing technique via Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated with the Cas protein (CRISPR/Cas) has been used as an important tool for development of cultivars with high tolerance to stresses. This study sought to develop a protocol for the construction of vectors for gene knockout. Here we use the phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene as a case study in Prata-Anã banana by the nonhomologous end junction (NHEJ) method. PDS is a key gene in the carotenoid production pathway in plants and its knockout leads to easily visualized phenotypes such as dwarfism and albinism in plants. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation delivered CRISPR/Cas9 constructs containing gRNAs were inserted into embryogenic cell suspension cultures. This is the first study to provide an effective method/protocol for constructing gene knockout vectors, demonstrating gene editing potential in a Brazilian banana variety. The constitutive (CaMV 35S) and root-specific vectors were successfully assembled and confirmed in transformed Agrobacterium by DNA extraction and PCR. The specificity of transformation protocols makes it possible to use the CRISPR-Cas9 technique to develop Prata-Anã banana plants with enhanced tolerance/resistance to major biotic and abiotic factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding and Genetics Research in Plants, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 1640 KiB  
Article
Allelopathic Molecular Mechanisms of the Two Main Allelochemicals in Sweet Potato
by Ruiguo Shi, Guimei Jin, Shicai Shen, Gaofeng Xu, Fengping Zheng, David Roy Clements, Yunhai Yang, Shaosong Yang, Fanghao Wan, Fudou Zhang and Bo Liu
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(11), 11890-11905; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46110706 - 23 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1429
Abstract
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is one of the most important global food crops. This crop exhibits excellent allelopathic potential against various weeds, but its allelopathic mechanism at the molecular level is unclear. Therefore, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed to explore [...] Read more.
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is one of the most important global food crops. This crop exhibits excellent allelopathic potential against various weeds, but its allelopathic mechanism at the molecular level is unclear. Therefore, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed to explore the allelopathic effects, metabolic pathway, and associated genes for two major compounds with allelopathic activity, palmitic acid and linoleic acid. The sweet potato variety Ningshu 25 was employed in the current study. The results showed that palmitic acid and linoleic acid had strong allelopathic effects on seed germination, plant growth, antioxidant enzyme activity, and chlorophyll content of two weeds Digitaria sanguinalis and Bidens pilosa. The content of the two targeted metabolites was affected by different environmental conditions and was significantly increased under low temperature (15 °C). Five metabolic pathways involved in the two targeted metabolites of fatty acids were found: fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid elongation, fatty acid degradation, biosynthesis of cutin, suberine, and wax, and the linoleic acid metabolism pathway. The synthesis of palmitic acid is significantly enriched in the biosynthesis pathways of fatty acids, cutin, suberine, and wax, and the synthesis of linoleic acid is significantly enriched in the linoleic acid metabolism pathway. Under different environmental conditions, there were three key genes expressed—g4988, g11881, and g19673—located in the biosynthesis pathways of cutin, suberine, and wax; four key genes expressed—g31191, g60956, g49811, and g59542—located in the biosynthesis pathway of fatty acids; and six key expressed genes—g26575, g24787, g23517, g57649, g58562, and g4314—located in biosynthesis pathway of linoleic acid, respectively. Our study advances understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind allelopathic traits in sweet potato and provides a set of candidate genes for use in improving allelopathic potential in sweet potato germplasm resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding and Genetics Research in Plants, 2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 11148 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Melatonin Modulates Photosynthesis and Antioxidant Systems for Improving Drought Tolerance of Sorghum Seedling
by Yushan Bo, Yifan Xing, Yu Wang, Wendong Gu, Xinyi Jiang, Jiarui Yu, Xiaolong Shi, Chunjuan Liu, Chang Liu and Yufei Zhou
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(9), 9785-9806; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46090581 - 3 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1370
Abstract
Sorghum faces significant production challenges due to drought stress. Melatonin has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in coping with stresses in plants. This study investigated the effect of exogenous melatonin on the sorghum seedling growth, photosynthetic capacity, and antioxidant system under [...] Read more.
Sorghum faces significant production challenges due to drought stress. Melatonin has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in coping with stresses in plants. This study investigated the effect of exogenous melatonin on the sorghum seedling growth, photosynthetic capacity, and antioxidant system under drought stress. The results indicated that drought stress inhibited the growth of sorghum seedlings by a marked reduction in leaf relative water content, along with a significant increase in both malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide content. The drought stress also led to a significant diminution in chlorophyll contents, thereby curtailing the capacity for light energy capture. Furthermore, the efficiency of the photosynthetic electron transport chain was adversely impacted. However, the application of exogenous melatonin notably mitigated the adverse effects on sorghum seedlings under the drought stress. Additionally, it stimulated an elevation in the photosynthetic rate and a decrease in non-photochemical quenching. The exogenous melatonin also facilitated the preservation of the chloroplast ultra-structure and boosted the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of non-enzymatic antioxidants. Cluster heat maps and principal component analysis further revealed significant correlations among various parameters under different treatment conditions. These results highlight melatonin’s role in improving sorghum’s drought tolerance, which is beneficial for agricultural management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding and Genetics Research in Plants, 2nd Edition)
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