Plant Biotechnology Journal最新文献

Salt stress and nitrogen utilisation efficiency (NUE) represent critical constraints affecting worldwide crop productivity. While nitrate transporter proteins (NPFs) have been implicated in saline chloride (Cl⁻) ion transport, the mechanistic linkage between chloride stress and NUE remains poorly understood. Through comparative transcriptomic profiling of Citrus trifoliata, we identified CtrNPF2.1 as a dual-responsive gene significantly upregulated in root tissues under both chloride salt and high nitrate conditions. The CtrNPF2.1 protein is localized to the vacuole membrane and highly expressed in root cortical cells. Transport functional characterisation combined with transgenic phenotypic analyses established that CtrNPF2.1 mediates dual transport mechanisms: facilitating vacuolar Cl⁻ compartmentalisation while enabling nitrate efflux. This coordinated process enhances cellular ion detoxification and promotes nitrate redistribution for optimal root development under saline conditions. Molecular investigations further uncovered that CtrNAC019 transcriptionally regulates CtrNPF2.1 expression through direct binding to its promoter, forming a chloride/nitrate-responsive regulatory module. Notably, physiological validation reveals coordinated responses in which nitrate supplementation mitigates chloride toxicity while chloride availability enhances nitrogen utilisation in trifoliate orange, which may be explained by the CtrNAC019-CtrNPF2.1 expression regulation module. These results provide new insights into vacuolar chloride sequestration and nitrate efflux by CtrNAC019-CtrNPF2.1 under saline and high-nitrate conditions, offering a promising strategy for breeding salt-resilient and resource-efficient crops.

Sugar crops, including but not limited to sugarcane, sugar beet, sweet sorghum and stevia, are major sources of sugar production in the world. However, conventional breeding approaches, limited by long breeding cycles, low efficiency and restricted capacity to improve complex traits in sugar crops, are increasingly insufficient to address the challenges posed by climate change and the demands of sustainable agriculture. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in biotechnology and molecular breeding that have transformed sugar crop improvement. Recently, high-throughput sequencing technologies have generated extensive multi-omics resources. Concurrently, numerous functional genes and genetic elements with substantial breeding potential have been identified and cloned, offering precise targets for the key agronomic traits in sugar crops. Marker-assisted selection has been successfully implemented to enhance disease resistance, while genomic selection has demonstrated well for the evaluation and selection of complex quantitative traits. Importantly, genetic transformation systems have enabled precise manipulation of target genes and facilitated the creation of novel germplasm. In the future, the integration of multi-omics data, artificial intelligence, high-throughput phenotyping and precision genome editing into an intelligent breeding framework will be essential for achieving breeding by design and developing climate-adaptive and smart cultivars. Ultimately, these technological innovations will expand the role of sugar crops beyond traditional sugar production, positioning them as a central platform for sustainable biomanufacturing and providing critical support for global sugar security, energy transition and the development of the bioeconomy.

Guiltinan, M.J., Landherr, L., Maximova, S.N., DelVecchio, D., Sebastian, A. and Albert, I. (2026) Reduced Susceptibility to Phytophthora in Non-Transgenic Cacao Progeny Through CRISPR–Cas9 Mediated TcNPR3 Mutagenesis. Plant Biotechnology Journal 24: 442–454. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70365

In the originally published article, the line designated GM-249 was identified as the cacao genotype Scavina-6 (Sca-6) and was used as a non-edited reference in the transcriptome analysis and as the pollen parent in one of the reported crosses. Whole-genome sequencing of the experimental genotypes has since established that GM-249 is the cacao clone ICS-1, not Scavina-6. The misidentification originated as a labeling error on the source plant and was detected only once genome-scale data became available; the corrected identity has been confirmed by whole-genome sequence comparison.

The correction changes the genotype label of GM-249 from “Scavina-6 (Sca-6)” to “ICS-1” in Table 1, the relevant figures and the supplementary materials, and in the description of the cross in which GM-249 (ICS-1) served as the pollen parent. A corrected Table 1 accompanies this correction.

This reassignment does not alter the study's principal conclusions. The most strongly supported and reproducible differential-expression signal derives from comparisons among lines in the PSU-Scavina-6 background, which do not involve GM-249 and are therefore unaffected. The corrected identity indicates that comparisons involving GM-249 span a more genetically divergent background than originally stated, which is consistent with, and reinforces, the paper's caution that genetic-background heterogeneity contributes substantially to the observed transcriptional variation. No quantitative result, figure, or conclusion other than the GM-249 genotype label requires revision.

We apologize for this error.

Global agriculture is increasingly challenged by climate instability, genetic erosion, emerging pathogens and rising food demands, exposing the limitations of conventional breeding and traditional domestication strategies. Recent advances in CRISPR-based genome editing, pangenomic, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted breeding and predictive phenomics are transforming de novo domestication from a slow evolutionary process into a programmable framework for rational crop redesign. This review synthesises recent advances in programmable de novo domestication and highlights how crop wild relatives and underutilised germplasm can be harnessed to develop resilient, climate-adaptive and sustainable crop systems. The integration of multiplex genome editing, pan-genomic variation discovery, AI-driven genomic prediction and predictive breeding enables precise engineering of key domestication traits governing plant architecture, yield potential, stress resilience and nutritional quality. Furthermore, we propose a trajectory-based framework for programmable domestication comprising Adaptive Rescue, Agronomic Refinement and Novel Chassis Engineering, which illustrates distinct evolutionary pathways, engineering complexity and crop redesign objectives. We also examine the major system level challenges that constrain programmable domestication, including cryptic genetic variation, epistasis, gene regulatory network complexity, genotype phenotype predictability, biodiversity conservation and regulatory considerations. Collectively, programmable domestication represents a transformative shift from conventional crop improvement towards system-level engineering of next-generation crops, providing a strategic foundation for enhancing global food security, agricultural sustainability and environmental resilience in the face of accelerating climate change.

Yang, F.-X., J. Gao, Y.-L. Wei, et al. 2021. “ The Genome of Cymbidium sinense Revealed the Evolution of Orchid Traits.” Plant Biotechnology Journal 19: 2501–2516. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.13676.

In the above article, the authors would like to update Figure 4b. The ultrastructure images of flower bud developmental stage 0 and stage 1 in the second row, which corresponded to plant morphology of stage 0 and stage 1 in the first row, were mistakenly displayed. The correct figure is shown below.

We apologize for these errors.

The florigen protein TaFT1 coordinately regulates heading time and spikelet number per spike (SNS), serving as a key yield determinant in wheat. However, how its stability is post-translationally controlled in the shoot apical meristem remains unclear. Here, we identify the F-box protein WHEAT ORTHOLOG OF APO1 (WAPO1), allelic to a major SNS quantitative trait locus (QSns.cau-7A), as a direct ubiquitin E3 ligase targeting TaFT1 for degradation. A crucial missense mutation (C47F) in the F-box domain of WAPO1 has a significant impact on the SNS. The elite allele WAPO-A1b (from large-spike germplasm AS420, encoding 47F) exhibits stronger binding affinity and ubiquitination activity toward TaFT1 compared with the allele WAPO-A1f (from cultivar Lunxuan987, encoding 47C). Enhanced degradation of TaFT1 by WAPO-A1b in the shoot apical meristem impairs the TaFT1–TaFDL transcriptional complex, thereby downregulating the floral identity gene VRN1/WAP1 and increasing SNS without delaying heading. Notably, the favourable WAPO-A1b allele has been positively selected in modern breeding, and its ectopic activation significantly boosts grain yield in field trials. Our work elucidates a post-translational pathway that fine-tunes spike architecture and highlights WAPO-A1b as a valuable genetic target for high-yield wheat breeding.

Resistance genes are critical for plant defence against biotic stresses, and building a comprehensive, integrated data resource platform for these genes holds great significance for plant research and agriculture. Here, we developed PlantRG (http://plantrg.bio2db.com), a user-friendly plant resistance gene database, which is built on 2 163 397 resistance genes identified from 1062 plant species. These genes were mined from all accessible plant genomic resources—systematically curated from 794 peer-reviewed publications and 107 public databases—to ensure data breadth and reliability. All resistance genes in PlantRG were further functionally annotated using five major reference databases, enhancing their utility for targeted studies. Additionally, 207 353 SSR markers and 141 582 miRNAs associated with these resistance genes were detected, providing insights into their regulatory networks and genetic markers. Key bioinformatic results, including gene duplication patterns, protein–protein interaction predictions and CRISPR guide sequences, were also generated and stored in the database. PlantRG allows free browsing and downloading of all resistance gene sequences, annotations and bioinformatic data. It also offers practical tools such as Blast (for homology search), CasViewer (for CRISPR guide visualization), Circos (for genomic landscape analysis), HmmerSearch (for domain-based identification) and Primer Design, to facilitate user-friendly comparative genomic analysis. Notably, PlantRG is the comprehensive platform to complete large-scale collection and bioinformatic analysis of plant resistance genes. It will support in-depth studies on the structure, function and evolutionary patterns of resistance genes, thereby contributing to agricultural development—for example, breeding stress-resistant crop varieties. In the future, PlantRG will be continuously updated to incorporate new data and features, maintaining its value for the global plant research community.

Breeding crops with robust disease resistance often compromises yield, a persistent challenge in agricultural improvement. We report that modifying cell wall architecture through a xylan-specific glycosyltransferase successfully breaks this trade-off in wheat. TaXAX1, a pathogen-induced member of the glycosyltransferase (GT)61 family, catalyses arabinose modification of xylan and is predominantly localized to the Golgi apparatus. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutants of Taxax1 exhibited enhanced susceptibility to three major fungal diseases: Fusarium head blight (FHB), Fusarium crown rot (FCR) and stripe rust. Conversely, overexpression of TaXAX1 significantly enhanced resistance to all three pathogens concurrently. Remarkably, this multi-disease resistance was achieved without any reduction in grain yield. Mechanistically, TaXAX1 mediates cell wall fortification by increasing xylan arabinose modification arabinosylation, upregulating the phenylpropanoid pathway and enhancing the deposition of lignin, cellulose and phenolic cross-linkers. This resulted in a thicker and more reinforced secondary cell wall, which also translated into superior stem strength. Our study identifies TaXAX1 as a master regulator of cell wall remodelling and provides a compelling strategy for designing wheat varieties with integrated resilience against multiple diseases and environmental stresses, while safeguarding yield potential.