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Plants
Special Issues
Genetic Mechanisms Related to Crop Seed Development
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Genetic Mechanisms Related to Crop Seed Development

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 December 2025 | Viewed by 1409

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Li Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: seed development; seedling establishment; seed germination; maize; QTL; lipid biosynthesis; lignin biosynthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Hong Di

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Interests: maize genetics and breeding; seed biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The title of this Special Issue is “Genetic Mechanisms Related to Crop Seed Development”. The aim is to promote a joint discussion on the frontiers of current research dynamics and find opportunities for collaboration in this field. The scope of research for this collection mainly includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  1. Genetic and biological processes of crop seed development;
  2. Dehydration physiology of crop seeds during seed production;
  3. Hormone regulation in seed development or seedling development;
  4. Secondary metabolism during crop seed development;
  5. Seed germination and seedling establishment;
  6. Stress responses during seed or seedling development.

We would like to invite all scholars who study crop seed development to contribute to this Special Issue. Original research and comments are welcome.

Dr. Li Li
Prof. Dr. Hong Di
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • seed development
  • seed germination
  • seed vigor

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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14 pages, 2686 KB  
Article
Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Role of Silver Nanoparticles in Promoting Maize Germination
by Zhipeng Yuan, Xuhui Li, Zhi Liang, Ran Li, Weiping Wang, Xiangfeng Li, Xuemei Du, Quanquan Chen, Riliang Gu, Jianhua Wang and Li Li
Plants 2025, 14(19), 3022; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14193022 - 30 Sep 2025
Viewed by 410
Abstract
The germination, seedling growth, and crop productivity of maize seeds are significantly impacted by seed aging. This study investigated the efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a seed priming agent for maize inbred lines exhibiting varying degrees of aging tolerance. Two inbred lines, [...] Read more.
The germination, seedling growth, and crop productivity of maize seeds are significantly impacted by seed aging. This study investigated the efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a seed priming agent for maize inbred lines exhibiting varying degrees of aging tolerance. Two inbred lines, aging-sensitive I178 and aging-tolerant X178, were used. AgNP treatment significantly promoted the germination of I178 (from 55% to 85%, compared with water treatment). Notable improvements were observed in root length, shoot length, and lateral root formation after AgNP treatment in I178. However, X178 showed no significant changes in germination and seedling growth after the AgNP treatment. Further transcriptomic analysis was performed on X178 and I178 before (water treatment) and after AgNP treatment to study genes and the expression network of the mechanism induced by AgNP promotion. In I178, AgNP treatment led to a substantial increase in differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A total of 800 DEGs were identified, with 517 being upregulated and 283 downregulated. The DEGs in I178 were mainly involved in metabolic processes, stress responses, and membrane repair. For example, genes related to lipid metabolism and membrane integrity were upregulated, along with seven genes associated with antioxidant action and redox metabolism. This indicates that AgNPs might enhance membrane stability and stress tolerance in I178. In contrast, X178 had a limited transcriptomic response to AgNP treatment. Although 874 DEGs were detected, the number of genes related to key processes like those in I178 did not change significantly, which is in line with its inherent aging tolerance. Overall, these results suggest that AgNPs can effectively improve seed vigor and counteract the negative effects of seed aging, especially in aging-sensitive maize lines. The mechanism likely occurs through regulating gene expression related to stress response, metabolic repair, and membrane stability. This study provides new insights into the molecular basis of AgNP-mediated seed vigor enhancement, which has potential implications for improving seed quality in agricultural production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Mechanisms Related to Crop Seed Development)
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16 pages, 6387 KB  
Article
Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals Differential Molecular Responses of RNA Polymerase Common Subunit ZmRPABC5b for Seedling Development in Maize
by Yaoran Yi, Jie Zhang, Shuangqi Guo, Xuemei Du, Riliang Gu, Jianhua Wang and Quanquan Chen
Plants 2025, 14(6), 941; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060941 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 729
Abstract
The normal development of maize (Zea mays) seedling is a prerequisite for achieving high crop yields. Although numerous molecular pathways regulate seedling development, the role of RNA polymerases (RNAPs) in this process remains largely unclear, and the function of common RNAP [...] Read more.
The normal development of maize (Zea mays) seedling is a prerequisite for achieving high crop yields. Although numerous molecular pathways regulate seedling development, the role of RNA polymerases (RNAPs) in this process remains largely unclear, and the function of common RNAP subunits in plants are not well understood. Here, we characterized the loss-of-function mutant of common subunit ZmRPABC5b, defective kernel 701 (dek701), which displays delayed seedling development. To elucidate the role of ZmRPABC5b in maize seedling growth, we conducted transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. This study found that the loss of ZmRPABC5b function severely impaired early seedling growth, leading to significant reductions in stem length, root length, as well as fresh and dry weight. Transcriptome analysis identified 3780 upregulated and 4385 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in dek701 seedlings compared to wild type. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of DEGs revealed that significant enrichment in pathways related to RNA biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolic, hormone stimulus, cellular transporter and ribosome activity. Metabolome analysis identified 501 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in dek701 seedlings, which were significantly enriched in the amino acid metabolism, secondary metabolites, carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, transport and translation. These findings provide substantial insight into the ZmRPABC5b regulatory network, positioning it as a central hub for regulating seedling development in maize. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Mechanisms Related to Crop Seed Development)
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