Functional Genomics and Molecular Techniques for Crop Improvement
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics, Genomics and Biotechnology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 17
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant breeding; genomics; tissue culture; gene editing
Interests: plant pathology; seed quality; plant breeding
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Recent advances in omics studies and molecular techniques have significantly accelerated the discovery of candidate genes, which are associated with key agronomic traits, particularly disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. High-throughput sequencing, transcriptomic profiling, genome editing, and heterologous gene expression are enabling faster and more precise association of function to candidate genes, expediting the development of resilient crop varieties. Together, these tools are leveraging challenges on food production. Despite great advancement in these technologies, functional genomics research has been challenging and time-consuming due to the limitations of the plant growth cycle, systematic phenotyping and genotyping, statistical analysis to link the phenotypes with genotypes, and the final verification of the gene function by different reverse genetics approaches. This Special Issue on “Functional Genomics and Molecular Techniques for Crop Improvement” aims to bring together cutting-edge research advancing our understanding of gene function and its application in agriculture. This Issue invites original research and review articles on the recent developments in genomics-enabled tools, transcriptomics, gene editing, and molecular breeding approaches that are accelerating the development of high-yielding, disease-resistant and climate-resilient crop varieties. By showcasing innovative studies and methodologies, this collection aims to provide valuable insights for researchers, breeders, and policy-makers striving to ensure global food security through molecular crop improvement.
Dr. Akshaya Kumar Biswal
Dr. Amos Emitati Alakonya
Dr. Carlos Henrique Cardon
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- high-throughput sequencing
- transcriptomic profiling
- genome editing and heterologous gene expression
- disease resistance
- heat
- drought and salinity tolerance
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