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Plants
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Genetic Breeding and Biotic/Abiotic Stress Regulation in Citrus
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Genetic Breeding and Biotic/Abiotic Stress Regulation in Citrus

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2026) | Viewed by 1167

Editors

Dr. Haijie Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Wusu Street, Hangzhou 311300, China
Interests: citrus breeding; genomics; abiotic stress; disease resistance; stress physiology
Dr. Yunpeng Gai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: plant diseases and control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Citrus production faces significant challenges from both biotic and abiotic stresses, which threaten yield, quality, and global food security. Genetic breeding and multi-omics approaches offer promising solutions to enhance stress resilience and sustainable cultivation. This Special Issue focuses on the latest advances in citrus genomics, stress physiology, and molecular breeding, covering key areas such as the following:

  1. Genomics and functional gene discovery for disease resistance.
  2. Abiotic stress responses (e.g., drought, salinity, temperature extremes).
  3. Biotic stress interactions, including pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses) and pests.
  4. Genetic breeding strategies, including marker-assisted selection (MAS), gene editing (e.g., CRISPR), and hybrid vigor utilization.

Climate change and intensive farming practices exacerbate stress impacts, necessitating innovative research to develop resilient citrus varieties. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and short communications addressing molecular mechanisms, high-throughput phenotyping, omics technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics), and field-applicable breeding solutions.

Contributions on emerging pathogens, cross-species resistance transfer, and eco-friendly management strategies are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Haijie Ma
Dr. Yunpeng Gai
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-anonymized 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

  • citrus breeding
  • stress resistance
  • genomics
  • gene editing
  • disease resistance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

24 pages, 7765 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Characterization of Citrus NBS-LRR Genes and Integrative Analysis of a Candidate Gene Associated with Alternaria Brown Spot-Related QTL
by Yilu Li, Chengnan Kang, Ru Zhang, Boping Wu, Kai Xu, Jiajie Chen, Meiyan Wang, Jinhua Liu and Haijie Ma
Plants 2026, 15(8), 1191; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15081191 - 13 Apr 2026
Viewed by 815
Abstract
Alternaria brown spot, caused by the tangerine pathotype of Alternaria alternata, is a destructive fungal disease affecting citrus production worldwide. Nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) genes constitute a major class of plant immune receptors; however, their genome-wide characteristics and potential association with Alternaria [...] Read more.
Alternaria brown spot, caused by the tangerine pathotype of Alternaria alternata, is a destructive fungal disease affecting citrus production worldwide. Nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) genes constitute a major class of plant immune receptors; however, their genome-wide characteristics and potential association with Alternaria brown spot resistance loci in citrus remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide identification and comparative analysis of NBS-LRR genes across representative citrus species. A total of 417 and 326 NBS-LRR genes were identified in Citrus reticulata and Citrus clementina, respectively, and were classified into NL, CNL, TNL, and RNL subfamilies based on domain architecture. Phylogenetic reconstruction, gene structure analysis, conserved motif composition, chromosomal distribution, synteny relationships, and promoter cis-element profiling collectively revealed considerable structural variation and lineage-specific expansion of the NBS-LRR gene family in citrus genomes. By integrating previously reported quantitative trait locus (QTL) data for Alternaria brown spot, we identified several NBS-LRR genes located within a resistance-associated genomic interval on chromosome 3. Among these, a candidate gene, designated LRR2, exhibited differential transcriptional responses upon pathogen inoculation and displayed distinct sequence variations between citrus genotypes. Structural modeling and molecular docking analyses suggested potential binding interfaces between LRR2 and multiple host-selective toxins, although the biological relevance of these interactions requires further experimental validation. Subcellular localization assays in Nicotiana benthamiana showed that LRR2 is distributed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. Notably, transient overexpression of LRR2 triggered hypersensitive response-like cell death and H2O2 accumulation. Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the citrus NBS-LRR gene family and presents a multifaceted characterization of a QTL-anchored candidate gene. These findings establish a genomic and molecular framework for further functional investigations of citrus–Alternaria interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Breeding and Biotic/Abiotic Stress Regulation in Citrus)
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