Plant natural resins, including well-known examples such as agarwood, dragon’s blood, frankincense, myrrh, rosin, benzoin, asafetida, storax, and various gums, have been widely utilized throughout history by many cultures as valuable resources for spices, preservatives, dyes or traditional medicine. These natural resins have long captivated researchers due to their production in the unique habitat and their complex chemical compositions or diverse applications. Beyond the critical roles of the defense mechanisms in resin - producing plants, natural resins also hold significant promise for ecological, medicinal, industrial, and technological uses. Advances in functional genomics and plant - environment interaction studies now enable the identification of key genes and specialized environmental factors involved in activity compounds biosynthesis in resin, offering insights into metabolic pathways and facilitating biotechnological innovations to enhance natural resin production and quality. Recent advancements in various scientific disciplines have also unveiled new avenues for investigating the biosynthesis, ecological roles, and practical applications of plant natural resins.

This research topic aims to bring together pioneering and advancing research that deepens our understanding of plant natural resins, encompassing aspects of their formation mechanism, ecological significance and wild populations protection or restoration from molecular biology and chemical characterization to innovative applications. We encourage contributions from diverse scientific disciplines, including plant science, genetics, chemistry, microbiology and applied science, to create a comprehensive collection of research that drive innovation and sustainability in the field of plant natural resins.

All type of articles including original research, mini review, review, perspective opinion and new methods are warmly welcomed. The scope of this research topic includes, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:

1. Genetic background: the comprehensive analysis of data from whole genome sequencing of resin-producing plants.
2. Ecological significance and sustainable utilization: investigate the ecological roles and sustainable use of natural resins and their source plants under climate change, especially for their roles in the micro-ecological construction in the special natural habitat.
3. Phylogenetic status of source plants: establish the phylogenetic and ecological niche of resin-producing plants using diverse methodologies and datasets.
4. Formation mechanism: utilize multi-omics technologies (e.g., transcriptomics, metabolomics, metagenomics, and proteomics) and innovative approaches to explore the formation mechanisms and ecological functions of natural resins and their source plants.
5. Gene function and evolution: examine the functions and evolutionary trajectories of novel genes or gene families associated with the accumulation of bioactive compounds in natural resins and the processes governing resin formation and regulation.
6. Phytochemistry and genetics of chemical composition: landscape the phytochemistry and genetic factors influencing the accumulation of specific chemical compounds in natural resins, considering temporal and spatial variations and environmental stresses.
7. Application in life science: advance the application of plant natural resins in antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and insecticide in agriculture or pharmacology.
8. Enhancing resin yields: innovations in enhancing resin yield and quality through artificial technology, genetic engineering, synthetic biology or metabolic engineering.
9. Conservation strategies: Propose new strategies for the protection and conservation of resin - producing plants, promoting ecological balance and biodiversity.
10. Ethnobotany: traditional use of resinous trees, social economical importance of local resin value chains.

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Advancing the Frontiers of Plant Natural Resins