We explore the impact of high night temperature (HNT) on rice phenomics, physiology and grain yield. From accelerated vegetative growth to changes in reproductive phases and enzymatic activities, we review how HNT affects rice in elevated CO₂ and nitrogen environments to provide insights into photosynthesis, respiration and hormonal regulation, and their effect on grain yield and quality.

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

Mechanical damage during harvest, handling and transportation can cause wounding in sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas). Wounds provide an access point for pathogens to infect the sweet potato, leading to rotting and quality deterioration during storage. Wound healing plays an important role in maintaining postharvest quality and shelf life of sweet potato. Our data showed that postharvest ASM treatment effectively promoted wound healing of sweet potatoes. These results provide theoretical basis for improving the storage quality of wounded sweet potatoes.

Environmental stresses cause severe yield losses. In the field, these stresses occur contextually, leading to unpredictable outcomes in terms of crop productivity. Soil/water salinity will expand in the future due to climate change, and weed control will become harder due to herbicide resistance. We studied the combined effect of weed competition and salt stress on the yield of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), finding that the morpho-physiological adaptations induced by weed competition impair plant ability to tolerate salt stress.

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.

In this study, by foliar spraying of 100 and 300 μmol L⁻¹ melatonin, the results showed that melatonin was able to reduce the damage of salt stress on the photosynthetic system and antioxidant system of wine grape (Vitis vinifera) leaves, and also improve the shape of the fruit and the intrinsic quality of the grape berries, such as sugar, acid, and nitrogenous compounds. Melatonin at 100 μmol L⁻¹ was found to be the most effective.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) exhibited a positive response to elevated CO₂ levels (ranging from 600 to 1000 ppm) compared to the ambient concentration of 400 ppm CO₂. Most of the photosynthetic parameters showed steady improvement up to 800 ppm, followed by down-regulation at the highest concentration. The physiological water use efficiency of fourteen cassava varieties was enhanced at 1000 ppm due to restricted stomatal activity and reduced transpiration rate.

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.