Biotechnological Tools to Achieve 21st Century Agriculture and Forestry

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are exposed to a great number of external stress factors due to the current situation of climate change; this provokes heat and drought periods that in some cases alternate with intense rains or periods of extreme cold. Further, these abiotic stresses can sometimes be accompanied or enhanced by biotic stresses. These stresses are becoming a growing concern as they provoke adverse effects on plant growth and development, significantly determining the productivity and viability of both natural ecosystems and plantations.

Taking into account all this and the world’s increasing population, it is necessary to continue working on the development and optimization of biotechnological tools to meet the demands for food, wood, and non-wood products. Moreover, the European Green Deal guidelines urge preserving the natural ecosystems for future generations.

Therefore, this Topic is focused on different biotechnological tools used in agriculture and forestry to improve programs in order to increase the quality of plants, the efficiency of propagation protocols, and the characteristics of plants developed, in terms of abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. All studies comprising transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and epigenome, with plant fertility, field trials, and agronomics not only in model plants but also in crop plants, trees, and other species, are most welcome.

This Topic welcomes all types of papers (research papers, methods, and reviews) related to knowledge and application of biotechnological tools.

Dr. Itziar A. Montalbán
Dr. Paloma Moncaleán
Prof. Dr. Jorge Canhoto
Topic Editors