Genetic Diversity in Plants
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2027 | Viewed by 88
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Genetic diversity is the cornerstone of plant adaptation, resilience, and productivity. It underpins the ability of wild and cultivated plant populations to withstand environmental stresses, pests, and diseases, while also providing the raw material for breeding programs and ecosystem restoration. As climate change and anthropogenic pressures accelerate habitat loss and genetic erosion, understanding, preserving, and leveraging plant genetic diversity has become an urgent global priority.
This Special Issue focuses specifically on the discovery and functional validation of novel genes or alleles derived from plant genetic diversity. While large-scale genotyping and sequencing efforts have revealed vast genetic variation within wild relatives, landraces, and cultivated germplasm, translating this diversity into functionally characterized, breeding-relevant genes remains a critical bottleneck.
We invite contributions that go beyond descriptive diversity surveys to deliver experimentally validated new genes or alleles. Priority topics include: (1) forward genetic screens or association mapping (GWAS, QTL) that pinpoint candidate genes underlying stress tolerance, disease resistance, or yield-related traits; (2) functional characterization of such candidates using heterologous expression, gene editing (CRISPR/Cas9), or transgenic complementation; (3) molecular dissection of how natural sequence variants affect protein function, transcript stability, enzymatic activity, or regulatory element activity; and (4) characterization of molecular pathways and gene regulatory networks that are differentially wired across genetically diverse accessions.
By focusing on the molecular underpinnings of genetic diversity, this Special Issue will provide a deeper understanding of how natural variation shapes plant phenotypes and deliver verified, mechanism-informed genetic resources for future breeding and conservation efforts.
Dr. Meng Li
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- plant genetic diversity
- novel gene discovery
- functional validation
- allelic variants
- molecular mechanisms
- QTL
- GWAS
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