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Cereal Crop Breeding, 2nd Edition
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Cereal Crop Breeding, 2nd Edition

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 July 2026 | Viewed by 3316

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jindong Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Wheat Improvement Centre, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: breeding; genetics; marker-assisted selection; wheat
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yamei Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Langfang Normal University, Langfang 065000, China
Interests: breeding; genetics; marker-assisted selection; molecular biology; rice

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cereal crops, including wheat, maize, rice, and barley, serve as the primary global food source, occupying approximately 75% of cultivated land and supplying over half of the world’s caloric intake. Thanks to advancements in modern breeding techniques, cereal yields have seen substantial growth over the past five decades. However, recent research indicates that the annual yield increase for major crops has slowed to around 1% since the beginning of the 21st century. 

Developing crop varieties with higher yields, improved quality, and enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses is a sustainable and eco-friendly strategy to ensure food security. Breeding methods encompass both traditional and modern technologies, with significant contributions from biotechnology, molecular biology, genomics, and genome editing, which have greatly enhanced breeding efficiency. These approaches rely heavily on genetic resources and germplasms. Yet, a pressing challenge in modern breeding is the narrowing of genetic diversity caused by domestication and selection. Consequently, marker-assisted selection (MAS), based on QTLs or genes identified through forward and reverse genetics, plays a crucial role in crop breeding. 

This Special Issue highlights advancements in breeding techniques, such as genomic selection and genome editing, alongside new insights from traditional agronomic methods and grain production quality. We invite submissions of original research and review articles focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Genetic analysis to unravel complex quantitative traits, particularly those related to quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
  2. MAS breeding, genomic selection/prediction, and molecular design breeding for cereal crops.
  3. Innovations in traditional agronomic breeding methods and their impact on grain production quality.
  4. Domestication and selection signatures in cereal crops.
  5. Identification of desirable allelic variants or breeding-available haplotypes.
  6. Technological advancements in molecular breeding.

We welcome contributions that advance both theoretical and applied research in cereal breeding, aiming to address global food security challenges.

Dr. Jindong Liu
Dr. Yamei Wang
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

  • cereals
  • genetic dissection
  • breeding
  • disease resistance
  • stress tolerance
  • yield
  • quality
  • biotechnology

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1943 KB  
Article
Barley Stem Bending Resistance Declines During Maturation, Then Peaks in Ripe, Dry Plants
by Alberto Gianinetti and Marina Baronchelli
Plants 2026, 15(8), 1234; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15081234 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 383
Abstract
Barley lodging—specifically stem lodging—occurs when the bending moments from wind and ear weight exceed the culm’s load-bearing capacity. Lodging risk decreases as plant height decreases and culm strength increases. Geometry (stem diameter, culm wall thickness) and material strength determine culm bending strength. By [...] Read more.
Barley lodging—specifically stem lodging—occurs when the bending moments from wind and ear weight exceed the culm’s load-bearing capacity. Lodging risk decreases as plant height decreases and culm strength increases. Geometry (stem diameter, culm wall thickness) and material strength determine culm bending strength. By studying changes in stem mechanical properties (at three positions along the culm) in two genotypes (grown in a greenhouse), we found that culm strength (assessed with a three-point bending test) slightly diminished through ripening owing to a decline in both area moment of inertia (i.e., strength due to geometry alone) and apparent material strength, presumably due to turgor loss. When the stem segments collected from fully ripe plants were dried to a moisture content typical of harvest maturity, however, strength rose to a maximum. Thus, minimum stem bending resistance occurs during a window in which plants are fully ripe but have not yet reached harvest-dry moisture content. Hence, in the absence of rain—which would severely reduce the mechanical strength of dry, ripe plants—the physiological risk of stem lodging is highest when the crop is fully ripe but not yet harvest-dry. However, the actual lodging risk increases as harvest approaches, because summer storms are frequent at this time of year and dry straw loses rigidity when wetted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Crop Breeding, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 1539 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Linkage Mapping for Mixograph Properties in Common Wheat
by Qiqi Zhang, Fangfang Liu, Wenxin Cao, Yao Li, Yuxia Lv, Heng Zhou, Xin Du, Yingxiu Wan and Chuanxi Ma
Plants 2026, 15(7), 1016; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15071016 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 440
Abstract
Mixograph properties represent important quantitative traits that are controlled by multiple genes and influenced by environmental factors. In this study, we conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping for key Mixograph paraments using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between [...] Read more.
Mixograph properties represent important quantitative traits that are controlled by multiple genes and influenced by environmental factors. In this study, we conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping for key Mixograph paraments using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between Yangxiaomai and Zhongyou 9507. Based on a high-density genetic map, six stable QTLs were identified on chromosomes 1A, 1B, and 1D across four environments, with individual phenotypic variation explained, ranging from 2.26 to 28.70%. Among these, QTh.ahau-1A, QMt/QPa.ahau-1B, and QTw.ahau-1D.1 are potentially novel loci. Furthermore, four functional Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed based on tightly linked SNPs and validated in 110 advanced breeding lines, confirming their significant association with the target traits and utility for marker-assisted selection (MAS). Additionally, six candidate genes were predicted, which encoded proteins such as a hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein, a CCCH-type zinc finger protein, protease, kinase, a phosphoglucan water dikinase, and a TRP-like family protein. Collectively, these findings provide valuable genetic loci, functional molecular markers, and candidate gene resources for improving wheat processing quality through MAS-based breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Crop Breeding, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 3686 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Association Study on Lodging Resistance-Related Traits in Oats
by Lijun Zhao, Rui Yang, Yantian Deng, Xiaopeng Zhang, Lijun Shi, Bai Du, Mengya Liu, Junmei Kang, Xiao Li and Tiejun Zhang
Plants 2026, 15(6), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060861 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 504
Abstract
Oat (Avena sativa L.), as an essential dual-purpose grain and forage crop, exhibits lodging resistance as a key factor directly impacting yield and quality. Therefore, breeding new oat varieties with lodging resistance is important to increase crop productivity and economic benefits. Using [...] Read more.
Oat (Avena sativa L.), as an essential dual-purpose grain and forage crop, exhibits lodging resistance as a key factor directly impacting yield and quality. Therefore, breeding new oat varieties with lodging resistance is important to increase crop productivity and economic benefits. Using 130 oat germplasm as materials, 7 lodging resistance-related traits of oat, including plant height (PH), the fresh weight of single stem (FWSS), the length of basal second internode (LBSI), diameter of basal second internode (DBSI), wall thickness of basal second internode (WTBSI), stem breaking strength (SBS), and stalk puncture strength (SPS), were investigated in two experimental sites for one year. The results indicate that the seven lodging resistance-related traits exhibit a continuous distribution overall and generally follow a typical distribution pattern. A total of 36,928,068 high-quality Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated from whole-genome resequencing were used for genome-wide association study (GWAS). Based on the BLINK (Bayesian-information and Linkage-disequilibrium Iteratively Nested Keyway) model threshold (−log10(P) ≥ 6), 379 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with lodging resistance-related traits were identified. Among them, 38, 34, 78, 66, 55, 18, and 94 QTNs were associated with PH, FWSS, SBS, SPS, LBSI, DBSI, and WTBSI, respectively. Notably, three QTNs associated with FWSS and one QTN associated with SBS were stably detected across both environments, representing valuable markers for molecular breeding. From these loci, 54 candidate genes were annotated. Ranked by the number of candidate genes per trait, LBSI contained the highest number (14), followed by WTBSI (12), SPS (11), SBS (7), PH (5), and FWSS (5). Our findings provide critical support for analyzing the genetic mechanism of oat lodging resistance. Moreover, this study also offers a material and theoretical basis for the subsequent development of molecular markers and the breeding of new lodging-resistant oat varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Crop Breeding, 2nd Edition)
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26 pages, 2818 KB  
Article
Uncovering the Genetic Basis of Grain Protein Content and Wet Gluten Content in Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
by Quanhao Song, Wenwen Cui, Zhanning Gao, Jiajing Song, Shuaishuai Wang, Hongzhen Ma, Liang Chen, Kaijie Xu and Yan Jin
Plants 2026, 15(2), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15020307 - 20 Jan 2026
Viewed by 655
Abstract
Improving wheat processing quality is a crucial objective in modern wheat breeding. Among various quality parameters, grain protein content (GPC) and wet gluten content (WGC) significantly influence the end-use quality of flour. These traits are controlled by multiple minor effect genes and highly [...] Read more.
Improving wheat processing quality is a crucial objective in modern wheat breeding. Among various quality parameters, grain protein content (GPC) and wet gluten content (WGC) significantly influence the end-use quality of flour. These traits are controlled by multiple minor effect genes and highly influenced by environmental factors. Identifying stable and major-effect genetic loci and developing breeder-friendly molecular markers are of great significance for breeding high-quality wheat varieties. In this study, we evaluated the GPC and WGC of 310 diverse wheat varieties, mainly from China and Europe, across four environments. Genotyping was performed using the wheat 100K SNP chip, and genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was employed to identify stable loci with substantial effects. In total, four loci for GPC were identified on chromosomes 1A, 3A, 3B, and 4B, with explained phenotypic variation (PVE) ranging from 6.0 to 8.4%. In addition, three loci for WGC were identified on chromosomes 4B, 5A, and 5D, which explained 7.0–10.0% of the PVE. Among these, three loci coincided with known genes or quantitative trait loci (QTL), whereas QGPC.zaas-3AL, QGPC.zaas-4BL, QWGC.zaas-4BL, and QWGC.zaas-5A were potentially novel. Seven candidate genes were involved in various biological pathways, including growth, development, and signal transduction. Furthermore, five kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed and validated in a natural population. The newly identified loci and validated KASP markers can be utilized for quality improvement. This research provides valuable germplasm, novel loci, and validated markers for high-quality wheat breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Crop Breeding, 2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 1853 KB  
Article
Identification of Spike Length Gene and Development of KASP Markers in Wheat
by Tiantian Jiang, Lingpeng Meng, Chao Ji, Zehui Wang, Huiwen Cao, Ruoxi Sun, Ke Xu, Xianghai Meng, Xueju Yang and Yong Zhao
Plants 2025, 14(23), 3703; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233703 - 4 Dec 2025
Viewed by 918
Abstract
Spike length is a critical trait influencing the yield potential of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). However, there has been limited research on spike-length-related genes in wheat. Moreover, the scarcity of stable markers for spike-related traits has restricted marker-assisted selection-based breeding. In this [...] Read more.
Spike length is a critical trait influencing the yield potential of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). However, there has been limited research on spike-length-related genes in wheat. Moreover, the scarcity of stable markers for spike-related traits has restricted marker-assisted selection-based breeding. In this study, a novel long-spike mutant material (LS1) was generated from wheat variety ‘Aikang 58’ (AK58) using ethyl methanesulfonate. We established an F2 segregating population by crossing AK58 with LS1. Morphological analyses of this population indicated that spike length is a dominant quantitative trait regulated by multiple genes. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) technology was used to preliminarily identify nine candidate regions associated with spike length traits. These regions were mainly in a 7.22 Mb interval (673.84–713.26 Mb) on chromosome 5A and in a 2.34 Mb interval (714.83–717.69 Mb) on chromosome 7B. Twelve candidate genes were identified within these regions. Furthermore, two kompetitive allele specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) markers (KASP-LS1-681460621 and KASP-LS1-692013966) associated with spike length traits were developed. Both KASP markers effectively genotyped parental lines and the F2 population. Our study results provide a theoretical foundation for the genetic improvement of spike-length-related traits in wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Crop Breeding, 2nd Edition)
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