Agricultural productivity has been affected by climate change. This study investigated the effects of conventional and conservation tillage methods on wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays) physiology. Our findings suggest that conservation tillage is a promising practice to increase precipitation water storage, soil water conservation and crop yield in the regions with medium to low mean annual precipitation and medium to high mean annual temperature.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Various approaches are employed to enhance yield of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and resilience in harsh climates. Among these, CRISPR/Cas is one of the most promising and rapidly advancing fields. With the help of these techniques, several crops like rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays) and sugarcane have been improved to be resistant against harsh conditions.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Optimising nitrogen intake in agricultural plants is essential to boost crop production without compromising the environment and natural resources. This is the first genome-wide association studies (GWAS) report to uncover the genetic loci under varying nitrogen treatments in under-utilised industrial crop safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) and the identified loci were found related to fatty acid and branched-chain amino acid metabolism and histone modifications. The identified markers and eight best-performing genotypes will be beneficial in future safflower nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) breeding.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Soybean (Glycine max) is an important oil, protein and biodiesel crop, but various diseases cause economic losses and putting global nutritional stability at risk. It’s crucial for scientists to work together to study soybean genes and how they respond to diseases and stress. This will help us meet the growing food demand and adapt to environmental changes, ensuring a strong future for agriculture.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Glyphosate inhibits the growth of the microalgae Thalassiosira weissflogii by reducing the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus, and provoking depolarisation of mitochondrial membranes and oxidative stress in algae cells. Glyphosate remains toxic in water for at least 9 days, and can lead to a change in the species structure of natural biocoenoses.

Increasing plant density is an important way to improve soybean yields, but risks increased lodging. Light plays a crucial role in regulating structural polymers that provide mechanical support to plants. Under a low light intensity, blue light regulated lignin and cellulose content of soybean petioles and stems. Under low light intensity, 20% blue light enhanced petiole length and lignin content; whereas 50% blue light increased cellulose content in stems and lowered plants’ centre of gravity, preventing lodging and saving carbohydrate allocation.

Plants respond to stresses like salt, drought, cold, heat, heavy metals and pathogens by modifying certain proteins using small ubiquitin-like modifiers. This process is facilitated by a class of compounds known as E3 ligases. We provide a comprehensive overview of E3 ligases and their substrates associated with biotic and abiotic stresses, elucidating the diverse and complex mechanisms by which this pathway facilitates plant survival under stress conditions. These essential insights are crucial for comprehending plant molecular reactions to such stresses.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Modulating photochemistry renders significant competitive physiological advantage. PSII photochemistry enhances the performance index of energy conservation (PI_ABS). Enhanced pigment contents and stoichiometry upregulate energy fluxes and yields.

Cold tolerance in crop plants is an important topic, and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play important roles in plant stress response. However, the regulatory function of TaMPK3 in freezing tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) remains unknown. This study initially revealed the role of TaMPK3 in freezing tolerance, and broadened our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying MAPs regulation of plant cold tolerance.

We investigated the effects of lead (Pb) on the oxidative reactions and antioxidative responses of Scrophularia striata (a member of the Scrophulariaceae family) under hydroponic culture. Our results indicated that S. striata activates the enzymatic and the non-enzymatic defence system under Pb stress.

Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotype Columbia) were successfully transformed with the gene that encodes for the enzyme fructose-1,6 -bisphosphatase. Transgenic plants were taller, had more leaves and more chlorophyll, used water more efficiently and allowed gases to pass more easily through the leaf pores. These changes all resulted in enhanced photosynthetic rate compared to wild type plants.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) is a new secondary transporter family that plays a key role in secondary metabolite transport. This article aims to identify the MATE protein family in Gleditsia sinensis and to reveal the possible functions of this gene family, as well as the different expression of the MATE protein family in different tissues of Gleditsia sinensis. It lays the groundwork for further functional characterisation of this significant family of transporters in Gleditsia sinensis.

Autumn senescence does not often proceed uniformly. Notably, green pigments (chlorophylls) disappear and red pigments (anthocyanins) appear unevenly along leaf blades of senescing leaves of deciduous trees. We show that only green parts of senescing leaves show efficient recovery from photodamage and that red parts contain high amounts of antioxidants and thus, produce little harmful reactive oxygen species (singlet oxygen). To fully understand tree physiology, the heterogenous nature of (autumn) senescence should be considered.

The leaf is an important site for energy acquisition and material transformation in plants. Leaf functional traits and their trade-off mechanisms reflect the resource utilisation efficiency and habitat adaptation strategies. We studied the trade-off relationships of leaf area with leaf midvein diameter and leaf vein density in Cotoneaster multiflorus. The results show the adaptability of C. multiflorus to environments with high light and low soil water content, which explains the expansion in the shrub’s geographic distribution.