At the turn of the 21st century, climate change has become a serious challenge with significant threats to crops production. It has impacted agriculture by hampering productivity; some crops in particular are suffering from drought and heat, impacting their ability to develop and produce high yields during their life cycles. As a result, plant genetics is aiming to improve plants with quantitative and qualitative traits and develop resistant and resilient crops against abiotic stresses resulting from climate change. Currently, climate adaptations and mitigation strategies are being developed and used to overcome the drastic effects of climate change on plant growth and development, focusing on food crops. It has become clear that plant genetics is one of the most attractive strategies in tackling the impact of climate change and paving the way for plant resilience and sustainable agriculture. Plant genetics primarily relies on the presence of substantial genetic variations to address the maximum genetic resilience potential of the crops and exploitation of these variations through effective selection for improvement. Recent advances in genomics in combination with high-throughput phenotyping are facilitating the identification of genes controlling critical agronomic traits. The discovery of these genes can now be paired with genome editing techniques to rapidly develop climate change resilient crops, including plants with better abiotic stress tolerance.
Roots, tubers, and cereals are the main staple foods. They are also a major source of carbohydrates and dietary energy, providing a substantial part of the world’s food supply. However, under climate change, roots, tubers and cereals are being challenged globally by frequent abiotic stresses such as droughts and hot spells. Thus, adaptation to stress conditions through genetics and genomics will play pivotal roles in their resilience and growth under these changing conditions.
This Research Topic aims to summarize the technological and conceptual advances in genetics and genomics that have the potential to transform the breeding of roots, tubers and cereals to help overcome the challenges they face due to climate change, and initiate their next breeding revolution. In addition, we aim to describe how utilizing the genetic potential of roots, tubers and cereals, along with their wild relatives (CWRs) might enable the domestication of new resilient species and the generation of synthetic polyploids. This is to improve resilience in roots, tubers and cereals in relatively short timeframes to meet the demands of the growing population and changing climate.
We welcome submissions of original research, comprehensive or mini-reviews, perspectives, and method papers covering the following topics (but not limited to):
• Accessing new breeding targets using genomic technologies, third-generation sequencing of roots, tubers and cereals, long sequencing reads for higher quality reference genome construction, accurate gene prediction and functional annotation, precise candidate gene identification, pairing plant genomics with other emerging technologies and high-throughput plants phenotyping.
• The roles of genetics and genomics to improve plants resilience, accessing genetic diversity of crop wild relatives (CWRs) for eco-physiological resistant and resilient roots, tubers and cereals by the editing of target genes.
• Advanced genetics and genomics and innovative genetic strategies in custom-designed roots, tubers and cereals for improved abiotic stresses adaptation
• Design-based roots, tubers and cereals improvement by the applications of advances in genetics and genomics tools to understand the functionality of the genes controlling key traits in roots, tubers and cereals plants and their improvement in the future changing climate.
• Application of advances in genomics and genetics (genetic manipulation, molecular markers, genomic selections and genes editing) to support the breeding of roots, tubers and cereals genotypes better adapted to new changing environments and environmental/abiotic stresses.
• Application of discovery of the genetic basis of improved traits of roots, tubers and cereals, and how the molecular basis of resistance to global warming, drought and high carbon dioxide is being advanced by genetic and genomic analysis.
At the turn of the 21st century, climate change has become a serious challenge with significant threats to crops production. It has impacted agriculture by hampering productivity; some crops in particular are suffering from drought and heat, impacting their ability to develop and produce high yields during their life cycles. As a result, plant genetics is aiming to improve plants with quantitative and qualitative traits and develop resistant and resilient crops against abiotic stresses resulting from climate change. Currently, climate adaptations and mitigation strategies are being developed and used to overcome the drastic effects of climate change on plant growth and development, focusing on food crops. It has become clear that plant genetics is one of the most attractive strategies in tackling the impact of climate change and paving the way for plant resilience and sustainable agriculture. Plant genetics primarily relies on the presence of substantial genetic variations to address the maximum genetic resilience potential of the crops and exploitation of these variations through effective selection for improvement. Recent advances in genomics in combination with high-throughput phenotyping are facilitating the identification of genes controlling critical agronomic traits. The discovery of these genes can now be paired with genome editing techniques to rapidly develop climate change resilient crops, including plants with better abiotic stress tolerance.
Roots, tubers, and cereals are the main staple foods. They are also a major source of carbohydrates and dietary energy, providing a substantial part of the world’s food supply. However, under climate change, roots, tubers and cereals are being challenged globally by frequent abiotic stresses such as droughts and hot spells. Thus, adaptation to stress conditions through genetics and genomics will play pivotal roles in their resilience and growth under these changing conditions.
This Research Topic aims to summarize the technological and conceptual advances in genetics and genomics that have the potential to transform the breeding of roots, tubers and cereals to help overcome the challenges they face due to climate change, and initiate their next breeding revolution. In addition, we aim to describe how utilizing the genetic potential of roots, tubers and cereals, along with their wild relatives (CWRs) might enable the domestication of new resilient species and the generation of synthetic polyploids. This is to improve resilience in roots, tubers and cereals in relatively short timeframes to meet the demands of the growing population and changing climate.
We welcome submissions of original research, comprehensive or mini-reviews, perspectives, and method papers covering the following topics (but not limited to):
• Accessing new breeding targets using genomic technologies, third-generation sequencing of roots, tubers and cereals, long sequencing reads for higher quality reference genome construction, accurate gene prediction and functional annotation, precise candidate gene identification, pairing plant genomics with other emerging technologies and high-throughput plants phenotyping.
• The roles of genetics and genomics to improve plants resilience, accessing genetic diversity of crop wild relatives (CWRs) for eco-physiological resistant and resilient roots, tubers and cereals by the editing of target genes.
• Advanced genetics and genomics and innovative genetic strategies in custom-designed roots, tubers and cereals for improved abiotic stresses adaptation
• Design-based roots, tubers and cereals improvement by the applications of advances in genetics and genomics tools to understand the functionality of the genes controlling key traits in roots, tubers and cereals plants and their improvement in the future changing climate.
• Application of advances in genomics and genetics (genetic manipulation, molecular markers, genomic selections and genes editing) to support the breeding of roots, tubers and cereals genotypes better adapted to new changing environments and environmental/abiotic stresses.
• Application of discovery of the genetic basis of improved traits of roots, tubers and cereals, and how the molecular basis of resistance to global warming, drought and high carbon dioxide is being advanced by genetic and genomic analysis.
