Advances in Genetic Dissection and Breeding for Plant Disease Resistance

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1371

Special Issue Editors

Triticeae Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang 611130, China
Interests: wheat wild relatives; disease resistance; gene function; transcriptome; wheat breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Lixiahe Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement for Low & Middle Yangtze Valley, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou 225007, China
Interests: wheat; disease resistance; fusarium head blight; gene function; molecular breeding

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant diseases continue to pose a significant threat to global crop production and food security. Genetic improvement of disease resistance remains a central goal in modern agriculture, with breeding strategies increasingly shifting from traditional methods toward molecular-design breeding. Rapid advances in genomics and biotechnology have enabled researchers to systematically unravel the genetic and molecular mechanisms of plant disease resistance, using approaches such as high-resolution gene mapping, molecular marker development, transcriptome profiling, and multi-omics integration.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress in the genetic dissection of plant disease resistance. We welcome original research and review articles that address key areas including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Identification and fine mapping of disease resistance genes or QTLs;
  • Development and application of high-throughput molecular markers in resistance breeding;
  • Transcriptional regulation and immune network analyses during plant–pathogen interactions;
  • Functional characterization and cloning of key disease-resistance genes;
  • Applications of gene editing and other emerging biotechnologies for enhancing resistance;
  • Integrated multi-omics studies providing insights into disease resistance mechanisms;
  • Marker-assisted selection and genomic selection for accelerating resistance breeding.

We encourage submissions of cutting-edge studies that combine genetic analysis with functional validation and breeding applications. This Special Issue seeks to promote innovation in disease-resistant crop breeding and facilitate the translation of genetic discoveries into practical solutions.

Dr. Lin Huang
Dr. Wenjing Hu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • plant disease resistance
  • genetic resources
  • genetic mapping
  • functional genes
  • molecular mechanism
  • plant–pathogen interaction
  • multi-omics analysis
  • marker-assisted selection
  • modern breeding methods

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1015 KB  
Article
Integrating Phenotypic and Genotypic Approaches to Select Rust- and Common Bunt-Resistant Advanced Winter Wheat Breeding Lines
by Gaziza Zhumaliyeva, Bakyt Ainebekova, Tamara Bazylova, Assel Jenisbayeva, Ayazhan Kosshybay, Saltanat Dubekova and Raushan Yerzhebayeva
Plants 2026, 15(8), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15081258 - 19 Apr 2026
Viewed by 478
Abstract
In major wheat-growing regions, rust diseases and common bunt significantly reduce wheat productivity, especially in years with favorable conditions for phytopathogen development and limited resistant cultivar use. Thus, the development of genetically resistant wheat cultivars carrying combinations of valuable resistance genes is an [...] Read more.
In major wheat-growing regions, rust diseases and common bunt significantly reduce wheat productivity, especially in years with favorable conditions for phytopathogen development and limited resistant cultivar use. Thus, the development of genetically resistant wheat cultivars carrying combinations of valuable resistance genes is an effective strategy to mitigate these losses. In this study, 156 advanced winter wheat breeding lines were evaluated for resistance to yellow (stripe) rust, leaf (brown) rust, and common bunt under an artificial infection background. Concurrently, molecular screening was performed using DNA markers to detect rust (Yr5, Yr10, Yr15, Lr9, Lr34/Yr18, and Lr37/Yr17) and common bunt resistance genes (Bt8, Bt9, Bt10, Bt11, and Bt12). Based on the integrated analysis of phenotypic and DNA marker-based molecular data, fourteen and five lines resistant to common bunt and yellow rust, respectively, were identified, and alleles associated with resistance were also detected. Notably, one line (9909) exhibited high resistance to both rust diseases and common bunt. These selected advanced breeding lines represent promising candidates for the development of wheat cultivars with enhanced disease resistance, thereby supporting sustainable productivity in wheat-growing regions. Full article
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16 pages, 1412 KB  
Article
Identification and Fine-Mapping of a Novel Locus qSCL2.4 for Resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
by Mingzhu Zhao, Dexing Wang, Dianxiu Song, Xiaohong Liu, Bing Yi, Yuxuan Cao, Jingang Liu and Liangshan Feng
Plants 2025, 14(24), 3826; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14243826 - 16 Dec 2025
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Abstract
Helianthus annuus L. is one of the major oilseed crops worldwide, and its production is seriously affected by a highly destructive necrotrophic pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (S. sclerotiorum). The use of resistant cultivars is the best control measure via molecular breeding; however, [...] Read more.
Helianthus annuus L. is one of the major oilseed crops worldwide, and its production is seriously affected by a highly destructive necrotrophic pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (S. sclerotiorum). The use of resistant cultivars is the best control measure via molecular breeding; however, the gene action underlying resistance to this stress is not well-established. Here, we conducted QTL analysis for S. sclerotiorum resistance in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population that were developed from parents with resistant (C6) and susceptible (B728) to the disease. A high-density genetic linkage map with 6059 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and a total length of 2763 cM was developed. The lesion length (LL) and the lesion area (LA) in the field, under climate chamber conditions or greenhouse conditions, were assessed following standardized inoculation protocols. A total of 16 major QTL for LL and 12 for LA were detected across three experimental environments, explaining 1.58–32.86% of the phenotypic variation. Of these, a major-effect QTL, qSCL2.4 on chromosome 2, could explain 30.22% of phenotypic variance with alleles from parent C6 which had more increased resistance to S. sclerotiorum. Fine-mapping in the BC1F3 population narrowed the locus to a 226.7 kb interval. HaWRKY48, which encodes a WRKY transcription factor located in this region, was prioritized as the prime candidate gene. Polymorphism analysis of HaWRKY48 in 138 sunflower accessions revealed eight SNPs defining six haplotypes. Resistance was associated with Hap3 and susceptibility to Hap1/Hap6. These findings advance our understanding of the genetic mechanisms governing sunflower resistance to S. sclerotiorum and provide valuable genetic markers for molecular breeding of resistant cultivars. Full article
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