The bioinformatic tools, characteristics, biological functions and molecular mechanisms associated with plant circular RNA
December 2025
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed RNA molecules formed through the back-splicing of precursor mRNA, widely found in eukaryotes. They regulate linear mRNA expression and fulfill various...
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ZmASR6 positively regulates salt stress tolerance in maize
December 2025
High salinity stress severely impacts plant growth and yield. ABA, stress, ripening (ASR) proteins play critical roles in plant responses to various abiotic stresses. This study characterizes a salt-induced...
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The selection and utilization of heading date loci in modern wheat breeding
December 2025
Heading and flowering timing are critical factors in wheat breeding for variety adaptation and yield. In this study, we identified four key QTLs associated with these traits in 406 accessions across...
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TASSELSHEATH4: A familiar player in maize development joins the domestication club
December 2025
The domestication of crops represents a cornerstone of human history, with one remarkable example being the evolution of maize (Zea mays) from its wild ancestor, teosinte. Researchers have identified...
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Molecular underpinnings of plant stress granule dynamics in response to high-temperature stress
December 2025
With the escalating impacts of global climate change, including more frequent episodes of extreme high temperatures, understanding the molecular mechanisms that enable plants to tolerate heat stress...
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E2 family and evening complex identify soybean photoperiod sensitivity
December 2025
Soybean is a facultative short-day plant, and its high photoperiod sensitivity poses challenges for breeding widely adapted soybean cultivars. Although the genetic basis of photoperiod in plants has...
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The development and prospects of insect-resistant crops expressing double-strand RNAs
December 2025
RNA interference (RNAi) triggered by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) has shown effectiveness against many major agricultural insect pests worldwide. With its remarkable specificity and high efficiency,...
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Precision engineering of carbon partitioning enhances crop resilience to heat stress
Available online 12 August 2025
With global warming, crop productivity is increasingly threatened by heat stress. Source-sink relations—critical yet vulnerable components of plant productivity, especially under climate extremes—have...
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The GhNAC091-GhZAT12 module regulates cotton acclimation to excess light via ROS scavenging
Available online 6 August 2025
Crop yield relies on efficient photosynthesis, which is frequently challenged by fluctuating and pulse-intense light conditions in natural environments. Although mechanistic studies in model plants...
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Genome-wide analysis of the WRKY gene family in lily and functional characterization of LdWRKY87 in response to heat stress
Available online 15 July 2025
WRKY genes represent a major family of transcription factors that play key roles in regulating plant responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses. While WRKY genes have been extensively studied in...
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An evolutionarily conserved module links TIR signaling to disease resistance
Available online 25 June 2025
The Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain, a conserved immune signaling module across all kingdoms, is frequently fused to other domains to enhance host defense against microbial pathogens. TIR domains...
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Systematic analysis of the F3H family in maize reveals a role for ZmF3H6 in salt stress tolerance
Available online 10 June 2025
Flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) plays a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of flavonoid compounds, which are involved in growth and development processes, as well as stress responses in plants. However,...
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Current Advances in Plant Mitochondria: Application Revolution of Cytoplasmic Male Sterility
Available online 19 May 2025
Plant mitochondria are vital organelles that play a decisive role in key agricultural traits, including cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). CMS has been a cornerstone in the hybrid breeding of crops....
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The molecular associations between the SnRK1 complex and carbon/nitrogen metabolism in plants
December 2024
Sucrose non-fermenting1 (SNF1)-related kinase 1 (SnRK1) serves as a conserved molecular entity in plants, responding to energy stresses such as prolonged darkness, hypoxia, and photosynthesis inhibition....
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Uncovering the function of peptides: Bridging hormone signaling, microbial interactions, and root development in plants
December 2024
Plant root systems are critical for absorbing water and nutrients and anchoring plants in the soil, and their development is regulated by phytohormones and complex signaling pathways. Recent studies...
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Engineering synthetic apomixis in different hybrid rice varieties using the Fix strategy
December 2024
Hybrid rice breeding has significantly increased the yield and stability of rice production. However, due to trait segregation in F2 progeny seeds, the F1 hybrid seeds must be renewed annually. Apomixis...
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The central role of transcription factors in bridging biotic and abiotic stress responses for plants’ resilience
December 2024
Throughout their life cycle, plants encounter a myriad of challenges arising from both abiotic and biotic stresses, which significantly impact crop yield and nutritional content. In natural ecological...
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Inaugural Editorial: New Crops
December 2024
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Advances in understanding the plant-Ralstonia solanacearum interactions: Unraveling the dynamics, mechanisms, and implications for crop disease resistance
December 2024
Plant diseases caused by various pathogenic microorganisms can cause substantial reductions in agricultural crop yield and quality, resulting in significant economic losses and posing a threat to global...
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Risk assessment of RNAi-based biopesticides
December 2024
RNA interference (RNAi) is an efficient molecular approach in which double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can effectively knock down the expression of certain genes, promoting mRNA degradation, and gene function...
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Structural insights into ligand recognition and receptor activation of plant leucine-rich repeat (LRR) transmembrane receptors
December 2024
Higher plants must coordinate their own growth and development by responding to a myriad of internal signals. Simultaneously, confronted with external signals such as pathogen invasion, drought and...
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ZmHAK17 encodes a Na+-selective transporter that promotes maize seed germination under salt conditions
December 2024
Elevated sodium ion (Na+) in saline farmlands adversely affect crops, notably by inhibiting seed germination. Given the importance of High-Affinity K+ Transporter (HAK) family Na+ transporters in plant...
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Crop designs: The ideal root architecture for future crop breeding
December 2024
Root system architecture, a crucial agronomic trait for sustainable crop production, is influenced by a variety of internal developmental signals and external environmental factors. In this review,...
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AI breeder: Genomic predictions for crop breeding
December 2024
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into crop breeding represents a paradigm shift toward data-driven agricultural practices, aiming to enhance the efficiency and precision of crop improvement....
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