Crop Genetics and Breeding—Second Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Plants will be publishing a Special Issue titled "Crop Genetics and Breeding—Second Edition". As enduring and thriving global academic disciplines, crop genetics and breeding play crucial roles in agricultural development, contributing to the improvement of crop varieties with desirable traits, such as higher yield and/or quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, tolerance to environmental stress, adaptability to climate change, enhanced nutritional content, etc. Significant advances have been made in both the theoretical and applied research fields of crop genetics and breeding and in related disciplines, attributing to advancements in genomics, biotechnology, molecular biology, population genetics, multi-omics, bioinformatics, etc., which have opened new interdisciplinary areas of plant genetics and breeding. We welcome the submission of various types of manuscripts, including original research papers, reviews, and methodologies, encompassing but not limited to the following areas:

Genetic Diversity:

• Genetic diversity is the foundation of crop improvement. It refers to the variety of genetic material within a species.
• Maintaining and utilizing genetic diversity is essential for developing crops with resilience to changing environmental conditions.

Gene Discovery:

• Advances in molecular biology and genomics have facilitated the discovery and understanding of specific genes associated with important traits.
• The identification of the genes responsible for traits such as drought tolerance, disease resistance and nutritional content allows for targeted breeding efforts.

Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS):

• MAS involves using molecular markers linked to specific genes or traits to aid in traditional breeding.
• This technique allows for a more precise selection of desired traits and reduces the time needed for conventional breeding.

Genome Editing:

• Technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 have revolutionized genetic engineering by enabling the precise modification of specific genes.
• Genome editing can be used to enhance traits or introduce new traits into crops more rapidly than traditional breeding methods.

Quantitative Genetics:

• Quantitative genetics involves the study of traits that are controlled by multiple genes, often with a significant environmental influence.
• Understanding the genetic basis of quantitative traits helps breeders make more informed decisions in selecting plants for breeding programs.

Hybridization and Crossbreeding:

• Crossbreeding involves mating individuals from different populations to combine desirable traits from each parent.
• Hybrid varieties often exhibit heterosis or hybrid vigor, resulting in superior performance compared to their parents.

Genetic Modification (GM):

• Genetic modification involves the introduction of genes from different organisms to confer specific traits.
• GM crops may have improved resistance to pests, diseases, or environmental stresses.

Phenotypic Selection:

• Traditional breeding methods often rely on the observation of physical characteristics (phenotypes) to select plants with desired traits.
• This method has been used for centuries and remains an important part of many breeding programs.

Data-Driven Breeding:

• With the advent of big data and bioinformatics, there is an increasing emphasis on data-driven approaches in crop breeding.
• Analyzing large datasets can help identify patterns, correlations, and markers associated with desirable traits.

Prof. Dr. Hai Du
Prof. Dr. Zhe Liang
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.

• crops
• population
• QTL
• sequencing
• genome
• SNP
• molecular markers
• genome editing
• phenotypes
• omics
• polyploidy
• evolution