Advances in Plant Molecular Breeding and Molecular Diagnostics
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Genetics and Genomics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 60
Special Issue Editor
2. Department of Plant Production, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Slezská 7, 12000 Praha, Czech Republic
Interests: fruit; plant breeding; high-throughput sequencing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plant molecular breeding and molecular diagnostics are rapidly advancing fields that play a key role in modern agriculture. By combining molecular tools with traditional breeding, researchers are able to accelerate the development of crop varieties with improved yield, quality, and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. The integration of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and advanced bioinformatics approaches has revolutionized these fields, enabling high-throughput genomic analysis and the identification of molecular markers with unprecedented precision. The foundation of successful breeding programs lies in the genetic diversity preserved in gene banks, which serve as invaluable repositories of genetic resources that provide the raw material for developing resilient and high-performing cultivars. Importantly, innovations in breeding strategies go hand in hand with the comprehensive assessment of health status in newly developed genotypes, as the success of modern cultivars depends not only on their agronomic performance but also on their disease resistance and overall plant health. At the same time, progress in molecular diagnostics, supported by NGS-based pathogen detection and bioinformatics-driven data analysis, provides sensitive and accurate methods for pathogen identification, the characterization of disease-related symptoms, and the monitoring of plant health in both established and newly bred varieties.
This Special Issue, "Advances in Plant Molecular Breeding and Molecular Diagnostics", aims to highlight recent developments and innovative approaches in these areas. Of particular interest are studies that advance molecular breeding and diagnostic strategies through the application of sequencing technologies and bioinformatics tools, especially those focusing on pathogen identification and disease symptomatology in crops, including the health evaluation of novel genotypes emerging from breeding programs and the utilization of genetic resources from gene bank collections. Complementary attention will also be given to the integration of phenological observations with genotype data, leveraging bioinformatics analysis of NGS datasets, as such approaches can provide valuable insights into plant performance and resilience within breeding and diagnostic frameworks.
We invite contributions including original research, reviews, and methodological studies that broaden our understanding of valuable genetic resources, plant improvement and diagnostic innovations, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration in molecular plant science.
Dr. Jiří Sedlák
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- plant molecular breeding
- molecular diagnostics
- pathogen detection
- disease symptomatology
- genetic resources, genetic diversity
- phenology
- genotype–phenotype integration
- genome editing
- omics
- bioinformatics
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