Molecular and Genetic Insights into Crop and Tree Species Stress Resilience: Advances and Applications

This Research Topic explores breakthroughs in genetic research and molecular technology to enhance resilience to environmental stresses in both crops and tree species. Environmental challenges such as drought, salinity, and temperature extremes pose significant threats to productivity within agricultural and forestry systems, thereby impacting global food security and ecological stability. To address these challenges, it is critical to identify genetic traits and molecular pathways that bolster resilience across diverse plant systems.

Recent advancements in genetic technologies, including CRISPR and genomic selection, have highlighted their potential in developing stress-resistant varieties. Utilizing integrative molecular approaches such as transcriptomics and proteomics, research has unveiled vital gene networks and epigenetic modifications that are essential for breeding resilient plant varieties. There is an opportunity to leverage insights from forestry that can reciprocally benefit agricultural practices, and vice versa, thereby enhancing the overall impact of these advancements.

This Research Topic aims to gather cutting-edge research findings and innovations in genetic engineering and molecular biology that contribute to the development of stress-resilient crops and trees. By understanding genetic mechanisms and molecular pathways across multiple species, the research can assess the efficacy of biotechnological applications and propose advanced breeding strategies. By integrating interdisciplinary methods, this topic seeks to enhance understanding of resilience mechanisms and inform strategies to mitigate climate change impacts within both agroforestry and traditional agricultural systems.

To gather further insights into the boundaries of molecular and genetic research for crop improvement, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

-Gene editing technologies for stress tolerance, applicable to both agricultural crops and tree species
-Identification and functional analysis of stress-responsive genes, including those from diverse plant types like trees and crops
-Molecular markers and genomic selection for breeding programs, integrating genomics from tree species with crop science
-Interactions between plant hormone signaling and stress responses with comparative studies across species
-Transgenic crops and trees and associated regulatory considerations and emerging biosecurity landscapes

We also welcome a variety of article types, such as original research, reviews, perspectives, and case studies.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Genetic resilience, Abiotic stress tolerance, Molecular breeding

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.