Genetic and Biochemical Enhancement of Nutritional and Stress-Responsive Traits in Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics, Genomics and Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 885

Special Issue Editors

Department of Applied Plant Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Interests: soybean; cowpea; QTL mapping; GWAS; MAS
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Guest Editor
National Agrobiodiversity Center (Genebank), National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
Interests: genebank; digital phenotyping; phytochemical; GWAS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As global agriculture grapples with the dual challenges of climate change and food insecurity, the need to develop crop varieties with enhanced nutritional value and tolerance to environmental stresses has never been more urgent. Achieving these goals requires a deep integration of genetic insight, biochemical innovation, and applied agricultural science.

Recent breakthroughs in genomics, metabolomics, and plant molecular biology have paved the way for the identification and functional characterization of genes and pathways involved in nutrient biosynthesis and abiotic stress responses. When these advances are aligned with agronomic practices and field-based validation, they hold transformative potential for modern agriculture.

This Special Issue aims to present cutting-edge research at the intersection of genetic improvement, biochemical enhancement, and agricultural application. We seek contributions that not only elucidate the underlying mechanisms of trait development but also demonstrate their relevance and feasibility within real-world farming systems.

We welcome original articles, comprehensive reviews, and case studies on topics including but not limited to the following:

  • Identification and functional validation of genes regulating nutritional traits and abiotic stress tolerance;
  • Genetic and biochemical strategies for crop improvement under adverse environmental conditions;
  • Metabolic engineering and regulatory networks under stress scenarios;
  • Translational research bridging molecular discoveries and field-level implementation;
  • Successful case studies demonstrating the application of advanced genetic and biochemical tools in agricultural systems.

Your contributions will foster a deeper understanding of how integrative scientific approaches can be harnessed to strengthen the resilience, productivity, and nutritional quality of crops within the context of sustainable agriculture. We invite you to confirm your interest and share a tentative title for your manuscript, which will help us in curating a coherent and impactful Special Issue.

Dr. Bo-Keun Ha
Dr. Seong-Hoon Kim
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • abiotic stress tolerance
  • nutritional enhancement
  • genetic improvement
  • metabolic engineering
  • functional genomics
  • molecular breeding

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3829 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of Candidate Loci Associated with the Regulation of the Protein, Oil, and Carbohydrate Content in Soybean
by Sreeparna Chowdhury, Byeong Hee Kang, Won-Ho Lee, Seo-Young Shin, Da-Yeon Kim, Woon Ji Kim, Jeong-Ho Baek, Seong-Hoon Kim and Bo-Keun Ha
Plants 2026, 15(6), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060924 - 17 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a globally important legume valued for the high protein, oil, and carbohydrate content of its seeds. However, it is difficult to simultaneously optimize the content of these three macronutrients due to their negatively correlated metabolic pathways [...] Read more.
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a globally important legume valued for the high protein, oil, and carbohydrate content of its seeds. However, it is difficult to simultaneously optimize the content of these three macronutrients due to their negatively correlated metabolic pathways and complex quantitative inheritance patterns. In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to elucidate the genetic architecture underlying the seed protein, oil, and carbohydrate content in 328 soybean accessions evaluated over two years using near-infrared spectroscopy. Significant negative correlations (r = −0.323 to −0.656, p < 0.001) were observed between the three traits, confirming the trade-off in carbon partitioning during seed development. The GWAS identified nine significant loci distributed across chromosomes 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 16, and 18 as stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating the three traits. Of these, three pleiotropic loci (qProOil.4, qProOil.16, and qOilCarb.6) were found to be associated with multiple seed compositional traits. Haplotype analysis revealed seven haplotype blocks with distinct phenotypic variation, indicating that they have the potential for use as trait-specific markers in marker-assisted selection. Functional annotation of the stable QTL regions identified 22 putative genes, among which five candidate genes, Glyma.06g201700, Glyma.08g281900, Glyma.09g164900, Glyma.13g155600, and Glyma.16g209800 were likely to be involved in carbon allocation, protein biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, and carbohydrate modification pathways based on their relative expression levels. Overall, this study enhances the understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanism controlling the composition of soybean seed and identifies promising genomic targets for precision breeding programs aimed at improving nutritional quality. Full article
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