Functional Genomics and Regulatory Mechanisms Underpinning Yield, Disease Resistance, and Stress Adaptation in Triticeae Crops

Triticeae crops, encompassing wheat, barley, rye, and triticale, represent essential pillars of global food systems due to their widespread cultivation and critical role in food security. The modern agricultural landscape faces heightened challenges from rapidly changing climates, escalating pathogen pressures, and resource scarcity, all of which can severely hamper crop yield and stability. Although breeding efforts have long targeted resistance and adaptability, lingering gaps remain in understanding the intricate molecular and regulatory networks that coordinate these complex traits. Recent landmark studies using functional genomics, multi-omics integration, and advanced bioinformatics have yielded unprecedented insights into the genetic and regulatory foundations behind yield, disease resistance, and stress adaptation. Despite these advances, the functional validation of key genes, unraveling of pathway cross-talk, and effective translation of molecular discoveries into tangible breeding solutions remain active areas of debate and investigation.

This Research Topic aims to elucidate the breadth of molecular and regulatory mechanisms that underpin yield formation, disease resistance, and environmental stress adaptation in Triticeae crops. The central objective is to unravel how genomic features, gene networks, and their regulatory dynamics collectively define crop performance under diverse environmental pressures. By fostering research that uncovers gene function, characterizes regulatory architecture, interrogates trait trade-offs, and bridges molecular mechanisms with practical breeding applications, this Research Topic seeks to expedite the translation of basic discoveries into improved Triticeae varieties. Interdisciplinary approaches that integrate multi-omics, functional genomics, genetics, and systems biology are particularly encouraged, with a special emphasis on advancing coherent frameworks that can sustainably strengthen crop productivity and resilience.

This Research Topic welcomes studies that span the molecular, physiological, and agronomic realms of Triticeae research, while retaining a focus on the underlying gene function and regulation behind desirable traits. Both experimental and integrative approaches are included, but work must clearly contextualize findings in the broader aims of trait improvement and translation. We invite contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Functional characterization, cloning, and validation of genes involved in yield, disease resistance, and stress adaptation

o Multi-omics analysis of regulatory pathways and gene networks

o Mechanisms of transcriptional, post-transcriptional, post-translational, and epigenetic regulation of stress and defense responses

o Intersections between biotic and abiotic stress responses, defense–growth trade-offs, and resource allocation

o Comparative/evolutionary genomics of critical loci across wheat, barley, rye, and triticale, including pan-genome and haplotype analyses

o Plant–microbe interactions and their roles in resilience, nutrient absorption, and yield stability

o Application of genome editing, molecular breeding, and functional validation tools for accelerating trait improvement

In addition to these themes, we encourage submissions that integrate agronomic or environmental interventions with molecular investigations to elucidate new regulatory mechanisms influencing crop performance.

Article types and fees

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

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... 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:

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

Keywords: wheat, barley, rye, triticale, functional genomics, regulatory networks, yield formation, disease resistance, stress adaptation, host–microbe interaction, root microbiome, genome editing, molecular breeding, Triticeae crops

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.