Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are involved in plant defence, cell wall metabolism and stress response. A total of 366 GH superfamily genes were identified in potato (Solanum tuberosum). Differential expression analysis indicated the involvement of GHs in various tissues, abiotic stress and biotic stresses, with specific genes showing significant changes in expression levels under drought and salt stress. Real time qPCR analysis revealed that StGH16.24 expression increased significantly after 3 days of drought stress, validating the presence of ABRE, MYB and MYC cis-regulatory elements.

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

The world population is increasing day by day. Cereals are a good source of energy for this increasing population. Climate changes exert pressure on agriculture and hinder overall production. Genome editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas have been extensively used to improve crops. In this review, we summarise the different genome editing techniques, their advantages, and disadvantages.

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

Rising global temperature is negatively affecting maize yield. Current genome-wide analysis identified and characterised AGC genes, one of the major contributors of plant stress response. Heat stress mediated differential expression of AGCs (using RNA-seq and real time qPCR) underscore the potential for developing heat-tolerant maize varieties by understanding the intricate workings of these genes.

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

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.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is used for animal feed, and production of alcoholic beverages and food. Lodging reduces the yield up to 80% and decreases the grain quality and can be overcome through introduction of semi-dwarfing genes. Approximately 20% yield gain can be achieved through development of semi-dwarf lodging-resistant varieties adapted to climate change specifically for marginal areas will be beneficial.

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

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key player in how plants adapt to their environment, from growth to coping with stress. In this study, we identified the PYL genes in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), crucial for ABA signalling pathways, yet poorly understood in potato. We uncover 17 PYL genes in potatoes, revealing their diverse roles in stress response and growth regulation. These findings shed light on potential role of PYL genes in mitigating the multiple stresses.

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

In the current study, we conducted a systematic genome-wide investigation of the Dof gene family in the pitaya genome and discovered a total of 26 Dof genes dispersed over 11 chromosomes. Using bioinformatics and transcriptome analysis, we identified specific genes in pitaya that can aid breeders in selecting plants capable of withstanding abiotic stresses. In addition, exogenous application of melatonin as a priming agent enhanced stress resilience in pitaya plants, making them more likely to thrive in challenging environments.

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.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum), the third-largest staple food crop, faces a major food security threat from environmental factors including salinity, temperature fluctuations and drought. We characterise the cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase (CRLK) gene family in potato, shedding light on its molecular mechanism in the complex interplay between plants and environmental stressors. The gene StCRLK9 may be involved in various abiotic stress responses. This establishes the groundwork for further investigations into the role of the potato CRLKs gene family in engineering climate resilient future crop plants.

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

Global ambient mean temperature will rise by approximately 0.3 and 1°C per decade for years 2025 and 2100, respectively. More than 40% of total wheat area in the world is affected by high temperature stress. This study identified that upregulation of TaHSP90A gene in wheat may enhance heat tolerance and increase yield up to 20–30%. Hence, it paves the way to exploit such genes to develop wheat varieties with high yields and better tolerance to heat stress under changing climate conditions.

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

The improvement of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) for various biotic and abiotic traits that affect the roots functions is vital, and root-specific promoters are tools to improve the gene expression of transgenes. SlREO is one tissue-specific promoters in tomato. This study cloned and characterised SlREO in Indian tomato cultivar, and evaluated its activity in various crops. Transgenic studies suggest that SlREO is a crop-dependent tissue-specific promoter that cannot be used to improve the expression of genes in other crops.

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

A particular region of the second chromosome of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is known to be associated with resistance to the fungal disease Fusarium wilt; but the actual genes causing resistance are unknown. We found seven genes that were substantially correlated with fusarium resistance. These can be used in breeding programs to produce varieties of chickpea more robust to disease.

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

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.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a significant legume crop, and its development, growth, yield and quality is affected by salinity. Salinity also has an impact on the physiological and biochemical processes in chickpeas, including respiration, photosynthesis, transpiration and enzyme activity. To better understand the molecular makeup and biological capabilities of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) genes in chickpeas, we characterised the first genome-wide, phylogenetic analysis and expression profiling of C. arietinum PDI genes (CaPDIs) under salt stress.

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

Melatonin is a natural substance found in plants, animals, and microbes. It is produced in similar ways in microbes and animals, but differently in plants. Scientists have used a plant called Arabidopsis thaliana to study how melatonin helps plants resist both environmental and biological stresses.

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

The pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a diploid legume, grown in humid and subtropic regions around the world. The gene family of Squamosa Promoter-binding like Proteins has been studied in different plant species, but is not yet fully explored in pigeon pea. The identified genes were classified into nine groups based on a phylogenetic analysis. Gene expression analysis using RNA sequencing revealed that CcSPL2.1, 3 and 13A were significantly upregulated in salt-tolerant cultivars, which could be further explored.

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

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) produces nutritious and gluten-free grains with a fine balance between carbohydrates, essential amino acids, oils, minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibres. The transcription factors (TFs) are the proteins regulating rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA. The R2R3-MYB transcription factors are the largest subfamily of the MYB family in plants, whereas the numbers of 4R-MYB and 3R-MYB genes are relatively small. In this study, we identified 103 poplar R2R3-MYB transcription factor genes.

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

We studied the genetic blueprint of mango (Mangifera indica) trees, and identified a crucial gene family for plant health and stress responses. We identified and examined 65 genes responsible for signalling pathways within mango plants. By unravelling these genetic intricacies, we pave the way for potential advancements in mango cultivation, and offer opportunities for developing better resilience against environmental challenges and the development of superior mango varieties.

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

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.

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.

This review discusses the benefits of biochar in remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals. Biochar has unique qualities to trap and neutralise heavy metals that adversely affect soil properties. It boosts soil quality by retaining nutrients, increasing microbial activity, and enhancing overall soil fertility. These findings suggest that biochar may be an affordable, and eco-friendly option for remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals to support more sustainable agriculture practices.

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