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Research on Genetic Breeding and Biotechnology of Forest Trees
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Research on Genetic Breeding and Biotechnology of Forest Trees

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 April 2026 | Viewed by 1313

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yun Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: genetic breeding; polyploid; trait variation; transcriptional regulation
Dr. Chao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Interests: transcription factor; secondary cell wall; genetic breeding

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest trees play a crucial role in maintaining global ecological balance by contributing to carbon neutrality, preserving biodiversity, and providing raw materials for industry. The purpose of genetic breeding of forest trees is to develop superior varieties with higher yields, better quality, enhanced disease resistance, and improved adaptability to environmental changes, enabling forests to yield higher returns under the same management levels. However, due to the long growth and reproduction cycles of trees, the level of genetic improvement and utilization remains relatively low. Biotechnology offers powerful tools to accelerate the breeding process and introduce complex traits that are difficult to achieve through traditional breeding methods. By leveraging modern biotechnologies in conjunction with conventional breeding techniques, it is possible to shorten breeding cycles and accelerate the process of creating new varieties. This Special Issue of Plants will focus on the latest advancements and future directions of biotechnological applications in forest tree genetic breeding, including molecular marker technology, cell engineering technology, and gene engineering technology.

Dr. Yun Li
Dr. Chao 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 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

  • forest trees
  • genetic breeding
  • molecular marker technology
  • cell engineering technology
  • gene engineering technology

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2794 KB  
Article
Predicting Heterosis and Selecting Superior Families and Individuals in Fraxinus spp. Based on Growth Traits and Genetic Distance Coupling
by Liping Yan, Chengcheng Gao, Chenggong Liu, Yinhua Wang, Ning Liu, Xueli Zhang and Fenfen Liu
Plants 2025, 14(16), 2601; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14162601 - 21 Aug 2025
Viewed by 453
Abstract
Fraxinus spp. is one of the most important salt-alkali resistant tree species in the Yellow River region of China. However, the limited number of superior families and individuals, as well as the lack of a well-established parent selection system for hybrid breeding, have [...] Read more.
Fraxinus spp. is one of the most important salt-alkali resistant tree species in the Yellow River region of China. However, the limited number of superior families and individuals, as well as the lack of a well-established parent selection system for hybrid breeding, have seriously constrained the improvement of seed orchards and the construction of advanced breeding populations. To address these issues, this study investigated 22 full-sib families of Fraxinus spp., using SSR molecular markers to calculate the genetic distance (GD) between parents. Combined with combining ability analysis, the study aimed to predict heterosis in offspring growth traits and select superior families and individuals through multi-trait comprehensive evaluation. The results showed the following: (1) Tree height (TH), diameter at breast height (DBH), and volume index (VI) exhibited extremely significant differences among families, indicating rich variation and strong selection potential. (2) The phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation for TH, DBH, and VI ranged from 4.34% to 16.04% and 5.10% to 17.73%, respectively. Family heritability was relatively high, ranging from 0.724 to 0.818, suggesting that growth is under strong genetic control. (3) The observed and expected heterozygosity of 15 parents were 0.557 and 0.410, respectively, indicating a moderate level of heterozygosity. Nei’s genetic diversity index and Shannon’s information index were 0.488 and 0.670, respectively, indicating relatively high genetic diversity. GD between parents ranged from 0.155 to 0.723. (4) Correlation analysis revealed significant or highly significant positive correlations between family heterosis and growth traits, combining ability, and GD, with specific combining ability (SCA) showing the strongest predictive power. Regression analysis further demonstrated significant linear correlations between GD and heterosis of TH and VI, and between SCA and heterosis of TH, DBH, and VI, establishing a GD threshold (≤0.723) and SCA-based co-selection strategy. In addition, four superior Fraxinus families and 11 elite individuals were selected. Their genetic gains for TH, DBH, and VI reached 2.28%, 3.30%, and 9.96% (family selection), and 1.98%, 2.11%, and 4.00% (individual selection), respectively. By integrating genetic distance (GD) and quantitative genetic combining ability (SCA), this study established a quantifiable prediction model and proposed the “GD–SCA dual-index parent selection method”, offering a new paradigm for genetic improvement in tree breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Genetic Breeding and Biotechnology of Forest Trees)
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21 pages, 7671 KB  
Article
The Scarlet Alchemy of Survival: Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis of Leaf Coloration in Endangered Parrotia subaequalis
by Lifang Zhang, Aya Hafsi, Xianting Wang, Chenyun Zhang, Zedong Lang, Mingjian Yu and Yanming Fang
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2345; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152345 - 29 Jul 2025
Viewed by 514
Abstract
Parrotia subaequalis is a rare and endangered deciduous tree native to China, valued for its vibrant autumn foliage and ornamental appeal. Its leaves exhibit striking coloration, ranging from red to yellow and purple, yet the physiological and molecular mechanisms behind this variation remain [...] Read more.
Parrotia subaequalis is a rare and endangered deciduous tree native to China, valued for its vibrant autumn foliage and ornamental appeal. Its leaves exhibit striking coloration, ranging from red to yellow and purple, yet the physiological and molecular mechanisms behind this variation remain poorly understood. Here, we combined transcriptomic, metabolomic, and physiological analyses to investigate pigment changes within the yellow leaf phenotype of P. subaequalis. Our findings revealed significant differences in gene expression and metabolic profiles between yellow and green leaves, particularly in starch and sucrose metabolism, photosynthesis, and carbon metabolism. Yellow leaves exhibited reduced photosynthetic capacity and carotenoid levels, alongside increased D-glucose concentration. These findings suggest that visible color transitions are likely driven by coordinated changes in carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthetic function, and organic compound accumulation. This study provides novel insights into the molecular and physiological mechanisms governing leaf pigmentation in an endangered tree, with useful information relevant to their conservation and sustainable utilization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Genetic Breeding and Biotechnology of Forest Trees)
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