Genetic mapping and functional characterization of two recessive loci governing white testa color in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Available online 11 September 2025
Peanut is a globally significant oil crop and economic resource, notable for its kernel containing over 50 % oil content. White testa peanuts are highly valued for their superior nutritional profile,...
Rewiring autoactive NLRs into protease-activated switches for broad-spectrum plant immunity
Available online 10 September 2025
Pathogens and pests pose a significant threat to global crop safety and food security, while achieving broad-spectrum and durable resistance in crops remains challenging. To cope with the issue, Wang...
Crop wild relatives: Harnessing ancestral diversity for future food security
Available online 9 September 2025
Structural genomic variation in African cultivated rice contributed to shorter awns
Available online 4 September 2025
African cultivated rice (Oryza glaberrima) was domesticated from its wild progenitor, Oryza barthii. The transition from long-awn to short-awn or awnless glumes was an important evolutionary event during...
The transcription factor ZmNLP5 increases maize grain yield by regulating nitrogen assimilation genes
Available online 4 September 2025
Nitrogen (N) is crucial for maize (Zea mays L.) growth, development and yield. Dysfunction of the maize NIN-like protein 5 (ZmNLP5) reduces N assimilation, but the precise mechanism by which ZmNLP5...
Rice OsMYB9 enhances salt stress tolerance by regulating the vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter
Available online 2 September 2025
Salinity is a major hazard to crop plant growth and significantly reduces grain yield. When subjected to high salinity, plants maintain ion homeostasis through Na+ compartmentalization and exclusion,...
Exploiting phKL-mediated homoeologous recombinants to map stripe rust resistance gene YrAev from Aegilops variabilis
August 2025
Aegilops variabilis (SvSvUvUv) is a source of resistance to wheat stripe rust. The phKL locus in Chinese common wheat landrace Kaixian-Luohanmai (KL) can induce homoeologous wheat-alien chromosome pairing...
Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA-6) and planting density optimize soybean growth and yield formation in maize–soybean strip intercropping
August 2025
The exogenous plant growth regulator, diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA-6), in combination with suitable varieties and planting densities, is important to increase yield in the maize–soybean strip intercropping...
Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism of reduction in wheat fertile floret number under spring low-temperature stress
August 2025
With the intensification of climate change, spring low-temperature stress (SLTS) leads to floret degeneration and a decrease in grain number. This study investigated the physiological mechanisms underlying...
Alternative splicing of ZmHsf23 modulates maize heat tolerance by regulating sHSPs and TIL1 expression
August 2025
Heat stress is a major threat to maize (Zea mays L.) production worldwide. Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) play vital roles in plant responses to heat stress. However, the molecular and genetic...
The ZmPIF4.1-ZmPTI1c-ZmMYB31 module regulates maize immunity to Gibberella stalk rot caused by Fusarium graminearum
August 2025
Gibberella stalk rot (GSR) caused by Fusarium graminearum is one of the most devastating diseases of maize, seriously impacting maize yield and quality, as well as the ability to use technology of mechanical...
QTN mapping, gene prediction and molecular design breeding of seed protein content in soybean
August 2025
Soybean seeds contain approximately 40% protein, making soybeans an important source of plant-based protein. Research on QTN mapping, molecular design breeding and mining of genes related to seed protein...
Glucosylceramides containing very long-acyl-chain fatty acid are critical for cotton fiber elongation by influencing brassinosteroid synthesis and signaling
August 2025
Sphingolipids are not only a pivotal component of membranes but also act as bioactive molecules. Cotton fiber is one of the longest plant cells and sphingolipids are closely associated with the development...
Uncovering genes essential in domestication and breeding of sugar beet
August 2025
The genus Beta encompasses economically important root crops such as sugar and table beet. A Beta diversity set including the wild relative B. vulgaris ssp. maritima was grown in the field, and a large...
Optimizing maize growth and N dynamics in Northeast China by combining dairy cattle slurry and synthetic fertilizer
August 2025
Dairy cattle slurry is a source of nitrogen (N) that can substitute for synthetic fertilizers. This study aimed to identify combinations of synthetic fertilizers and slurry optimal for maize growth...
Ghd7.1 improves eating quality by reducing grain protein content in rice
August 2025
Protein content plays a crucial role in determining the eating and cooking quality of rice. However, the genetic and molecular basis underlying grain protein content remains to be elucidated. In this...
RNAi technologies for insect control in crop protection
August 2025
RNA interference (RNAi) has been used for agricultural insect pest control based on silencing of targeted insect genes. However, the effectiveness of RNAi and its applications in insect pest control...
δ2H, δ18O, and δ13C behave differently when assessing transpirative and photosynthetic performance of wheat under contrasting VPD conditions
August 2025
Carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope compositions are considered indicators of the effect of water conditions on plant photosynthesis (δ13C) and transpiration (δ18O). Hydrogen isotope composition...
Genetic changes in soybean cultivars derived from Heihe 54
August 2025
Soybean (Glycine max) variety Heihe 54 has played a crucial role in the Heihe soybean breeding program in China, contributing to the development of over 85 cultivars. To elucidate the genetic changes...
One-time application of controlled-release blended fertilizer increases rice yield and nitrogen utilization by optimizing root morphological trait distribution and nitrogen uptake
August 2025
One-time application of controlled-release blended fertilizer (CRBF, a mixture of five nitrogen (N) fertilizers in a certain ratio) can achieve high yield and N use efficiency (NUE) in rice (Oryza sativa...
Establishment of a novel engineering breeding technology for cytoplasmic male sterility
August 2025
The three-line hybrid rice system, which relies on cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), faces challenges in breeding efficiency. To address these challenges, we developed CMS engineering breeding technology...
Development and identification of wheat–Psathyrostachys huashanica 7NsS small segment translocation lines with early heading date gene Ehd-7Ns
August 2025
Psathyrostachys huashanica Keng ex P. C. Kuo (2n = 2x = 14, NsNs), a wild relative of wheat, represents a valuable germplasm resource for genetic improvement of wheat. We previously confirmed that a...
Regulation of tiller angle by gravity-sensing genes in rice
August 2025
Endodermal cells and starch-accumulating amyloplasts are well-known gravity sensors initiating shoot gravitropism in Arabidopsis thaliana. The transcription factors SHR and SGR1 regulate endodermal...
Subsoiling tillage increases water-use efficiency of winter wheat by improving soil hydraulic properties associated with pore structure in the North China Plain
August 2025
Subsoiling is widely used to improve soil productivity in the North China Plain (NCP). However, its effects on pore network-based hydraulic properties and their relationship with water use efficiency...