Advancements in Palmaceae Research: Genomic Insights, Trait Analysis, and Breeding Innovations

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 January 2026 | Viewed by 145

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: molecular breeding; identification and validation of elite allele; gene function validation via genetic level and molecular level; gene network
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: coconut molecular breeding; coconut genomics; GWAS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Palmaceae family, commonly known as the palm family, encompasses a diverse group of economically and ecologically significant plants, such as coconut, oil palm, date palm, and Areca nut. From providing essential food sources and raw materials to enhancing biodiversity and landscape esthetics, palms play a crucial role in both human livelihoods and ecosystem health. This Special Issue seeks to gather together cutting-edge research on the Palmaceae family, focusing on various aspects such as trait characterization, comparative genomics, breeding strategies, and multi-omics analyses. Contributions are encouraged that explore genetic and phenotypic diversity within palm species, innovative breeding techniques to enhance desirable traits, and the application of multi-omics approaches to understand the underlying biological mechanisms.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Detailed trait analysis of economically important palm species;
  • Comparative genomic studies revealing evolutionary relationships and adaptations;
  • Breeding programs aimed at improving yield, disease resistance, and climate resilience in palms;
  • Multi-omics approaches integrating genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics for a holistic understanding of palm biology;
  • The role of environmental factors in shaping palm traits and genomic adaptations;
  • Genetic mapping and marker-assisted selection in palm breeding.

We invite researchers from diverse disciplines to submit original research articles, reviews, and case studies that will contribute to the growing body of knowledge in palm science and promote sustainable practices in palm cultivation and utilization.

Prof. Dr. Wei Xia
Dr. Yong Xiao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Palmaceae
  • genetic diversity
  • trait analysis
  • multi-omics
  • comparative genomics
  • crop improvement
  • marker-assisted selection
  • evolutionary biology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 10675 KiB  
Article
Evolutionary Insights and Flowering Regulation of SPLs in Coconut Palm
by Runan Chen, Yalan Feng, Jin Zhou, Ying Wang, Fengyi Zhang, Shazia Rehman, Zhuang Yang, Zifen Lao, Hang Xu, Yong Xiao, Jie Luo and Wei Xia
Plants 2025, 14(16), 2532; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14162532 - 14 Aug 2025
Abstract
Squamosa Promoter-Binding Protein Like (SPL) is a critical transcription factor that plays a significant role in regulating plant growth and development. Mining the coconut SPL family offers valuable insights into the regulation of important agronomic traits, including the length of the [...] Read more.
Squamosa Promoter-Binding Protein Like (SPL) is a critical transcription factor that plays a significant role in regulating plant growth and development. Mining the coconut SPL family offers valuable insights into the regulation of important agronomic traits, including the length of the juvenile phase. In this study, 25 CnSPLs were identified and were classified into eight subfamilies. Analysis of gene structure and conserved protein motifs indicated a high conservation of CnSPLs within the same subfamilies; however, variations in protein structure and gene length were observed across different subfamilies. Gene expansion analysis indicated that most gene members within subfamilies originated from duplications of the same genomic segment, and transposable element insertion contributed to the divergence of gene sequences within these subfamilies. Characterization of the miR156 target sequence in SPL transcripts revealed that subfamilies IV to VIII contained these sequences, while subfamilies I to III did not. In both coconut and 14 other plant species, some SPLs lost their miR156-binding loci due to gene structure variations. The gene expression profiles revealed significant divergence between miR156-targeted and non-targeted CnSPLs; the former exhibited low expression levels in the endosperm, while the latter showed comparable expression across all tissues. Notably, CnSPL15A demonstrated steadily increasing expression levels in leaves throughout successive leaf primordia and significantly promoted flowering when overexpressed in Arabidopsis. Transient expression assays and 5′ RACE confirmed that CnSPLs are targeted by miR156. This study establishes a foundation for investigating the evolutionary characteristics of CnSPLs and provides a theoretical framework for analyzing the functions of key CnSPLs involved in the coconut flowering control pathway. Full article
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