Advances in Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Plant Species

Dear Colleagues,

The world is currently being confronted with an increasing population, food insecurity, and climate change. As of April 2019, the world population was estimated at 7.7 billion, and it is forecast to grow to more than 9 billion by 2050. Because the world’s is growing population at unprecedented rate, feeding this population is becoming big challenge, and there is a need to increase the world’s food production by 60%–110%. Industrialization has brought economic prosperity; additionally, it has resulted in a larger population and urbanization. However, it has played a significant role in climate change as well. Climate change is resulting in a hazardous scenario for global food security through reducing food production by disturbing the cropping pattern and lowering the resistance of crops to biotic and biotic stress. Researchers have applied plant breeding as the most effective tool for dealing with these issues. However, the role of plant breeding in genetic erosion is also universally accepted. Therefore, our current food cultivars are not performing well under these unpresented climatic conditions because of a genetic bottleneck. To mitigate all of these problems, there is a need to harness plant diversity.

The collection, conservation, and characterization of genetic resources is a valid strategy in this regard because it helps to explore the genotypic and phenotypic variations that can be effectively utilized by the breeding community. The  narrow  genetic  base  of  our  food crops  can  be  broadened  by  considering  landraces, crop  wild  relatives,  and underutilized  and  neglected  plant species. The development of new crop varieties that are resistant to various biotic and abiotic stress with enhanced yield and nutritional quality can be accelerated by applying and combining new and old breeding technologies. A new generation of foods and ingredients with enhanced intrinsic nutritional quality and taste could be developed through the utilization of plant diversity to improve the dietary patterns and health of the population.

This Special Issue will focus on highlighting the importance of plant biodiversity and genetic resources for a sustainable agriculture production system. We welcome original research papers, reviews, perspectives, opinions, and modeling approaches regarding plant genetic diversity; breeding, omics, and biotechnological technologies; and the biodiversity conservation of plant species.

Prof. Dr. Xiangdong Liu
Dr. Muhammud Qasim Shahid
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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