Novel Breeding Techniques to Improve Disease Resistance in Horticultural Crops

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Genetics, Genomics and Breeding".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 934

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
CREA, Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Corso degli Inglesi 508, 18038 Sanremo, Italy
Interests: molecular biology, in vitro culture, genetic transformation, novel breeding techniques (genome editing), horticulture plant breeding, transcriptomic, genetic markers, biotic and stress response, and ornamental plants

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Guest Editor
CREA, Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Via Salaria 1, 63030 Monsampolo del Tronto, AP, Italy
Interests: molecular biology; in vitro culture; gene expression; genetic transformation; novel breeding techniques (cisgenesis and gene editing); genetic resources; plant biotic stress resistance; horticultural plant breeding
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Addressing plant diseases is crucial for sustaining global food production and ensuring food security for a growing population. Plants respond to biotic and abiotic stresses, activating an array of morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes. In addition, epigenetic modifications are also considered a regulatory mechanism of stress-responsive genes and biological processes. Novel breeding techniques (NBTs) offer innovative ways to improve disease resistance in horticultural crops. These techniques leverage advances in biotechnology to enhance the precision, speed, and efficiency of the breeding process. Some of the key NBTs that can be applied to improve disease resistance in horticultural crops include genome editing, RNA interference (RNAi), marker-assisted Selection (MAS), transgenic approaches, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), mutagenesis techniques, synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and computational approaches to predict candidate genes associated with disease resistance. By combining these novel breeding techniques, researchers and breeders can develop horticultural crops with enhanced disease resistance, leading to improved crop yields, reduced dependence on chemical pesticides, and more sustainable agricultural practices. Furthermore, epigenetic engineering at the target sites involved in the disease resistance mechanism could be an emerging and powerful approach for crop improvement. However, it is crucial to consider regulatory frameworks and address public concerns regarding the use of biotechnology in crop improvement. This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in NBTs to improve disease resistance in horticultural crops, inviting all types of articles, such as research papers and methods, reviews, and opinions.

Dr. Marina Laura
Dr. Sara Sestili
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant disease
  • biotic stress
  • disease-resistant cultivars
  • plant breeding
  • genome editing
  • CRISPR-Cas
  • NBT
  • RNAi
  • MAS
  • R genes and S genes
  • next-generation sequencing (NGS)

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 848 KiB  
Article
Effect of Introgression of Ty-1 and ty-5 Genes on Productivity, Quality, and Antioxidant Compounds in De la Pera Tomato Breeding Lines
by José Ángel Cabrera, Pedro Carbonell, Juan Francisco Salinas, Adrian Grau, Aranzazu Alonso, Francisca Hernández, Juan José Ruiz and Santiago García-Martínez
Agriculture 2024, 14(7), 1192; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14071192 - 19 Jul 2024
Viewed by 606
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a crop that is affected by more than a hundred viral species. De la pera is a local varietal type of tomato that is very popular in southeastern Spain. However, it is highly susceptible to several viruses, [...] Read more.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a crop that is affected by more than a hundred viral species. De la pera is a local varietal type of tomato that is very popular in southeastern Spain. However, it is highly susceptible to several viruses, such as Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), which is considered one of the most important diseases of tomato crops and is a limiting factor for production in both outdoor and protected crops, making it difficult to eradicate. This study shows the effect of gene introgression on the performance of traditional lines of De la pera by combining two genes that offer tolerance to TYLCV, Ty-1 and ty-5, on some yield and quality traits and on the antioxidant capacity of tomato fruits. Two pear tomato breeding families, UMH175 and UMH220, were evaluated. Four lines from each of the families with all homozygous combinations of the Ty-1 and ty-5 genes were studied. The results showed that the introgression of the ty-5 allele produced a slight negative effect on yield, mean fruit weight, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity, in contrast to Ty-1, which produced a large negative effect. None of the introgressions showed a negative effect on the antioxidant compounds. ty-5 is a promising gene for use in breeding programs. Full article
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