Epigenomic studies in sorghum reveal differential enrichment of multiple histone marks at clade A PP2C genes in response to drought
December 2025
Epigenetic regulation is essential for plant development and stress responses, as numerous stress-responsive genes are modulated epigenetically. However, most research has focused on individual histone...
Facing chilling, kinase-transcription factors relay cold tolerance signals
December 2025
Rice (Oryza sativa L.), native to tropical regions, is highly vulnerable to low temperatures, limiting its geographical range and posing a substantial threat to global rice production. Our understanding...
FREE1 condensates mediate energy-independent membrane remodeling via wetting
December 2025
Membrane-bound and membrane-less organelles are vital for the structured organization and functional synchronization of cellular components. While much is known about their individual roles, the interactions...
Advances and prospects of plant mitochondrial pentatricopeptide repeat proteins in post-transcriptional processing
December 2025
The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein is integral to various post-transcriptional processing functions of precursor RNA in plant mitochondria and plastids. It plays a significant role in seed development,...
Molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to low phosphate stress and potential applications in crop improvement
December 2025
Phosphorus is a critical nutrient for plant growth, influencing crop development and yield. However, the excessive reliance on phosphate fertilizers to address inorganic phosphate (Pi) deficiency is...
Genetic resource utilization in wild rice species: Genomes and gene bank
December 2025
Rice stands as one of the foremost staple crops globally. The rice domestication and selective breeding processes have led to the loss or attenuation of numerous beneficial genes, resulting in a constrained...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Establishment and Optimization of CUT&Tag for Identifying Transcription Factor Target Genes in Rapeseed
Available online 20 October 2025
Studies of transcription factors (TFs) in non-model crops such as rapeseed (Brassica napus) are often hindered by reliance on stable transgenic lines required for conventional epigenomic approaches...
Spatiotemporal regulation of leaf angle in rice: the differential regulation of leaf angle throughout the development and across the canopy in rice
Available online 25 September 2025
The construction of a smart canopy in crops has gained increasing attention in agricultural research due to its role in optimizing light capture, improving photosynthetic efficiency, and enhancing yields....
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
Inaugural Editorial: New Crops
December 2024
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...
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...
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...