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Genetic Improvement of Oilseed Crops
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Genetic Improvement of Oilseed Crops

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2192

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hong-Bo Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Interests: genetic improvement of agronomic and quality traits in rapeseed
Dr. Ling Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Interests: oil crop germplasm innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oilseed crops, including rapeseed (canola), soybean, sunflower, peanut, etc., serve as a primary source of edible oils in many regions. With the growing global demand for vegetable oils and the need for sustainable agricultural practices, the primary objectives of genetic improvement in oilseed crops are to enhance yield potential, improve oil content, modify oil composition, increase resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and adapt varieties to diverse environmental conditions. Modern biotechnology tools, particularly genetic engineering, genome editing techniques, and GWAS, have revolutionized the field of crop improvement. These technologies allow scientists to precisely modify specific genes associated with important agronomic and quality traits. In addition, genetic improvement efforts also focus on genetic resource screening, evaluation, and utilization. We developed this Special Issue to provide a collection of the current and new progress in oilseed crop research.

Dr. Hong-Bo Liu
Dr. Ling Xu
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.

Keywords

  • oilseed crops
  • genetic resources
  • genetic engineering and genome editing
  • agronomic and quality traits
  • biotic and abiotic stresses

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2097 KB  
Article
A Quantitative Trait Nucleotide-Based Genomic Selection Strategy for Seed Oil and Protein Content in Soybean
by Guang Li, Huangkai Zhou, Javaid Akhter Bhat, Kuanqiang Tang, Jiantian Leng, Xianzhong Feng, Xiangfeng Wang and Suxin Yang
Plants 2026, 15(9), 1296; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15091296 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 288
Abstract
In recent years, genomic selection (GS) has been widely adopted in plant breeding; however, its practical application is constrained by the high cost of genotyping large segregating populations. To address this issue, this study employed a Quantitative Trait Nucleotide (QTN)-assisted GS strategy to [...] Read more.
In recent years, genomic selection (GS) has been widely adopted in plant breeding; however, its practical application is constrained by the high cost of genotyping large segregating populations. To address this issue, this study employed a Quantitative Trait Nucleotide (QTN)-assisted GS strategy to evaluate its efficiency in reducing genotyping costs for soybean seed oil content (OC) and protein content (PC). Based on six multi-parent F4 populations (n = 4404) derived from seven elite soybean cultivars, which were genotyped using a 20K SNP chip, we identified 83 and 110 QTNs that were significantly associated with OC and PC, respectively. Among these loci, 37 and 62 QTNs were specific to OC and PC, respectively. Genomic prediction accuracies were evaluated across different training population (TP) sizes using three marker panels: genome-wide SNPs, all detected QTNs, and trait-specific QTNs. The panel consisting of all detected QTNs exhibited significantly higher prediction accuracy than the other two panels, except for PC when using 90% of the population as the training set. Phenotypic verification of the selected individuals showed that the PC-specific QTN panel yielded higher PC values and increased OC + PC values compared with the other marker panels. These results demonstrate that a small set of QTNs provides a cost-effective approach for genomic selection in practical soybean breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Improvement of Oilseed Crops)
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23 pages, 10126 KB  
Article
Heterologous Expression of Sorghum bicolor PIP1-3 Gene Improves Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis and Rapeseed
by Luhong Gao, Yanxin Liu, Yu Kang, Zhenqian Zhang and Gang Xiao
Plants 2026, 15(5), 720; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15050720 - 27 Feb 2026
Viewed by 539
Abstract
Aquaporins are key membrane proteins that mediate water transport in plants and are indispensable for maintaining cellular water homeostasis and normal physiological processes. This study investigated the function of SbPIP1-3, an aquaporin gene isolated from drought-tolerant Sorghum bicolor. Bioinformatics analysis, subcellular localization, [...] Read more.
Aquaporins are key membrane proteins that mediate water transport in plants and are indispensable for maintaining cellular water homeostasis and normal physiological processes. This study investigated the function of SbPIP1-3, an aquaporin gene isolated from drought-tolerant Sorghum bicolor. Bioinformatics analysis, subcellular localization, and heterologous expression of SbPIP1-3 were performed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Arabidopsis thaliana, and rapeseed. Sequence analysis revealed that SbPIP1-3 encodes a basic hydrophobic protein targeted to the plasma membrane, a finding further corroborated by subcellular localization assays. In yeast expression assays, SbPIP1-3-transformed strains retained viability under osmotic stress induced by 1.2 M mannitol, whereas non-transgenic control strains failed to survive. In Arabidopsis and rapeseed experiments, the SbPIP1-3 overexpression enhanced drought tolerance (improved germination, root growth, antioxidant enzyme activity, proline content, PSII repair capacity, and survival after drought–rewatering) and reduced intracellular H2O2 accumulation. Transcriptome profiling of drought-stressed transgenic Arabidopsis and control plants demonstrated significant upregulation of mostly stress-responsive pathways (e.g., MAPK signaling pathway and hormone signaling pathways) and key drought-tolerance genes (e.g., SNRK2-2, SOD1, APX3, GPX3, P5CS1). Collectively, these findings suggest that SbPIP1-3 enhances plant drought tolerance through the following mechanisms: improving transmembrane water transport efficiency to sustain cellular osmotic balance; activating the antioxidant defense system to increase enzyme activity and mitigate reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation; optimizing photosynthetic protection mechanisms to preserve the structural and functional integrity of PSII; and regulating the expression of stress-responsive signaling pathways and associated functional genes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Improvement of Oilseed Crops)
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16 pages, 7447 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of the OPT Gene Family and Screening of Sb-Responsive Genes in Brassica juncea
by Xianjun Liu, Mingzhe Chen, Yuhui Yuan, Jialin Sheng, Pintian Zhong, Sha Gong, Zhongsong Liu, Guohong Xiang, Junhe Hu, Mingli Yan, Yong Chen and Liang You
Plants 2025, 14(21), 3399; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213399 - 6 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 950
Abstract
Antimony (Sb), a toxic metalloid, inhibits plant growth and threatens human health. Yellow Stripe-Like (YSL) proteins play crucial roles in metal ion transport and cellular homeostasis. While the OPT gene family has been characterized in some species, its genome-wide organization and functional involvement [...] Read more.
Antimony (Sb), a toxic metalloid, inhibits plant growth and threatens human health. Yellow Stripe-Like (YSL) proteins play crucial roles in metal ion transport and cellular homeostasis. While the OPT gene family has been characterized in some species, its genome-wide organization and functional involvement in Sb stress response remain unexplored in Brassica juncea. Here, we identified 47 high-confidence BjOPT genes and combined transcriptomic approaches to elucidate their regulatory roles under Sb stress. Phylogenetic tree, conserved motifs, and gene structure analyses consistently distinguished the BjOPT and BjYSL subfamilies. Comparative and collinearity analyses indicated that OPT genes in Brassica species (including B. rapa, B. nigra, and B. juncea) expanded independently of whole-genome triplication events. Transcriptomic profiling revealed significant enrichment of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to key biological processes (oxidative and toxic stress response, metal ion transport, and auxin efflux) and pathways (glutathione metabolism, MAPK signaling, and phytohormone transduction), highlighting their roles in Sb detoxification and tolerance. Notably, three BjYSL3 (BjA10.YSL3, BjB02.YSL3, and BjB05.YSL3) genes exhibited strong up-regulation under Sb stress. Heterologous expression in yeast demonstrated that both BjA10.YSL3 and BjB02.YSL3 enhance Sb tolerance, suggesting their potential role in transporting Sb–nicotianamine (NA) or phytosiderophore (PS) complexes. These findings advance our understanding of Sb tolerance mechanisms and provide a basis for developing metal-resistant crops and phytoremediation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Improvement of Oilseed Crops)
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