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Plants
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Genetic Approaches to Enhancing Disease Resistance in Crops
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Genetic Approaches to Enhancing Disease Resistance in Crops

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 (30 November 2025) | Viewed by 1960

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ruth A. Heinz

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Guest Editor
Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular–IABiMo–INTA-CONICET, Instituto de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham 1686, Argentina
Interests: plant molecular biology; host-pathogen interaction; sunflower genetics and genomics; sunflower disease resistance; sunflower senescence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Zujun Yang

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Guest Editor
Center for Informational Biology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
Interests: plant molecular cell biology; plant chromosome; wheat genetics; wheat breeding; genomic evolution; chromosome engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Genetic approaches to enhancing disease resistance in crops represent a critical area of research in improving global food security. Plant diseases, caused by a wide variety of pathogens including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes, continue to pose significant threats to crop yield and quality. Traditional breeding methods have been foundational in improving disease resistance in crops; however, they are increasingly being supplemented and enhanced through modern genetic tools and technologies.

Recent advances in molecular biology, high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping, functional genomics, and genome editing techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9, have opened up new avenues for understanding and manipulating disease resistance at the genetic level. The identification and characterization of resistance genes, coupled with high-throughput genomic tools, can enable more precise and efficient breeding strategies. In addition, the exploration of plants’ wild relatives and the development of genetically diverse germplasms are essential in introducing novel resistance traits into cultivated crops.

This Special Issue will explore the latest advancements in genetic approaches to disease resistance, focusing on the application of cutting-edge tools such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), marker-assisted selection (MAS), and gene-editing technologies. It will also highlight the challenges and opportunities in translating these genetic advancements into practical breeding strategies that can be implemented in diverse agricultural systems to safeguard crop productivity in the face of increasing pathogen pressure. We invite authors to contribute their insights on the latest developments, challenges, and innovations in this rapidly evolving field.

Dr. Ruth A. Heinz
Prof. Dr. Zujun Yang
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

  • genetic approaches
  • GWAS
  • QTL mapping
  • disease resistance
  • crop breeding
  • molecular biology
  • genome editing
  • CRISPR-Cas9
  • resistance genes
  • marker-assisted selection

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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12 pages, 6388 KB  
Article
MutMap-Based Cloning of a Soybean Mosaic Virus Resistance Gene
by Bin Wang, Xiaofang Zhong, Debin Yu, Demin Rao, Lu Niu, Hongwei Xun, Xiangyu Zhu, Lu Yi, Xueyan Qian and Fangang Meng
Plants 2025, 14(22), 3504; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14223504 - 17 Nov 2025
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Abstract
Soybean is rich in protein and oil and serves as the most important legume crop globally. Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is a severe threat to soybean production worldwide. MutMap, a gene-mapping technology based on map-based cloning and whole-genome resequencing, is utilized to clone [...] Read more.
Soybean is rich in protein and oil and serves as the most important legume crop globally. Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is a severe threat to soybean production worldwide. MutMap, a gene-mapping technology based on map-based cloning and whole-genome resequencing, is utilized to clone key regulatory genes for agronomic traits in plants. However, no relevant studies have reported the cloning of genes resistant to SMV. We used an M3 mutant population derived from ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis of Williams 82, and conducted field inoculation experiments involving the SMV-SC3 strain. After field validation, two lines with high resistance to SMV were finally identified. Using MutMap, we initially screened candidate genes for SMV resistance and found that the G-to-A transitions of one candidate resistance gene, Glyma.13G194900, were at base positions 122 and 166. These transitions resulted in the substitution of glycine with glutamic acid (GGA→GAA) and valine with aspartic acid (GTT→GAT), respectively. Transgenic functional validation in soybean showed that the mutant allele of Glyma.13G194900 (designated Glyma.13G194900M) substantially enhanced resistance to SMV-SC3, in contrast to the wild-type allele, which did not enhance resistance. Our results demonstrate that MutMap can rapidly identify SMV resistance-related genes to provide a genetic resource that accelerates the breeding of new SMV-resistant soybean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Approaches to Enhancing Disease Resistance in Crops)
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23 pages, 1719 KB  
Article
Combining Linkage and Association Mapping Approaches to Study the Genetic Architecture of Verticillium Wilt Resistance in Sunflower
by Juan F. Montecchia, Mónica I. Fass, Matías Domínguez, Sergio A. González, Martín N. García, Carla V. Filippi, Emiliano Ben Guerrero, Carla Maringolo, Carolina Troglia, Facundo J. Quiroz, Julio H. González, Daniel Alvarez, Ruth A. Heinz, Verónica V. Lia and Norma B. Paniego
Plants 2025, 14(8), 1187; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081187 - 11 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1305
Abstract
Sunflower Verticillium Wilt and Leaf Mottle (SVW), caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb., is a globally prevalent disease affecting sunflower production. In this study, we identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 10 and other genomic regions associated with SVW resistance by [...] Read more.
Sunflower Verticillium Wilt and Leaf Mottle (SVW), caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb., is a globally prevalent disease affecting sunflower production. In this study, we identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 10 and other genomic regions associated with SVW resistance by integrating biparental and association mapping in sunflower populations from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology. Nine replicated field trials were conducted in highly infested V. dahliae reservoirs to assess disease incidence and severity. Both mapping populations were genotyped using double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq). Association mapping with 18,161 SNPs and biparental QTL mapping with 1769 SNPs identified a major QTL on chromosome 10 explaining up to 30% of phenotypic variation for disease incidence at flowering and for the area under the disease progress curve for disease incidence, and which contributes to a lesser extent to disease severity reduction. Additional QTLs on chromosomes 17, 8, 9, 14, 13, and 11 were associated with reduced disease incidence, severity, or both. Candidate genes were identified within these associated regions, 39 of which are in the major QTL on Chromosome 10. These findings demonstrate the value of integrating complementary QTL mapping strategies for validating resistance loci and advancing sunflower breeding for SVW resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Approaches to Enhancing Disease Resistance in Crops)
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