Advances in Brassica Crop Metabolism and Genetics

Dear Colleagues,

Brassicas are among the most economically valuable corps in the Cruciferae family, containing multiple important vegetables, oils and ornamental crops. Brassica includes three basic diploid species, namely Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa, AA, 2n=20), black mustard (B. nigra, BB, 2n=16) and cabbage (B. oleracea, CC, 2n=18), and three tetraploid hybrid species: oilseed rapes (B. napus, AACC, 2n=38), mustard (B. juncea, AABB, 2n=36), and Ethiopian mustard (B. carinata, BBCC, 2n=34). Several subspecies, varieties and different ecotypes of Brassica have been derived by interspecific hybridization within the genus, which greatly enriches the genetic resources of Brassica and provides an excellent model for the study of polyploid speciation, evolution and selection.

The Brassica genus boasts immense economic, ecological, and nutritional value. As staple crops, Brassica species contribute significantly to food security. Beyond their culinary uses, Brassicas offer various industrial applications, such as bioactive compound extraction from broccoli or mustard seeds. Moreover, these plants play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture, with some species exhibiting natural pest resistance and soil improvement properties. In recent years, genome sequencing and various omics technologies have gradually clarified the metabolic pathways and regulatory networks of secondary metabolites of Brassica, providing a way to improve the nutritional quality and flavor or the resistance of brassica crops to environmental stress through metabolic engineering methods.

For this Special Issue, we welcome any original research articles, reviews, short notes, or opinion articles that highlight metabolic regulation and genetic improvement of Brassica crops, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, signal regulation network and genome editing. This special issue welcomes contributions that explore various aspects of the Brassica genus, including but not limited to taxonomy, genetics, breeding, agronomy, phytochemistry, and biotechnology. Manuscripts elucidating phylogeny and taxonomy of Brassica crops, metabolite synthesis and regulation network, as well as physiological traits (nutritional quality, special flavor), and biotic/abiotic stress responses of Brassica species are particularly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Bo Sun
Prof. Dr. Honghao Lv
Guest Editors

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• brassica crop
• genomics
• transcriptomics
• proteomics
• metabolomics
• gene editing
• metabolite synthesis and regulation
• phylogeny and taxonomy
• physiological traits
• biotic/abiotic stresses
• biotechnology