Advances in Molecular Plant Physiology and Genomic Breeding of Cereals
A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 102
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant stress biology; abiotic stress tolerance; plant-microbe interaction; nutrient–stress interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cereal crops, including rice, wheat, maize, barley and sorghum, are fundamental to global food security, providing essential calories and nutrients for billions of people worldwide. Improving cereals’ productivity and resilience under climate changes require a comprehensive understanding of plant physiological process and their underlying molecular and genetic regulation.
Plant physiology provides the foundation for understanding growth dynamics, resource allocation, grain development, nutrient uptake and stress adaptation. Recent advances in molecular biology and functional genomics have revealed the gene regulatory networks, transcription factors, hormone signaling pathways, epigenetic modifications and small RNAs that orchestrate these physiological processes in cereals. The integration of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, QTL mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWASs) now enables the dissection of complex physiological traits at an unprecedented resolution.
Understanding the molecular basis of physiological responses to abiotic and biotic stresses, as well as genotype–environment interactions, is increasingly guiding precision breeding strategies. Modern tools such as marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing and high-throughput phenotyping accelerate the translation of molecular and physiological knowledge into improved cereal varieties.
This research area is becoming increasingly critical as global populations grow, arable land becomes limited and climate change imposes new stresses on agriculture. This Special Issue seeks to advance knowledge in the field of cereal biology by addressing the basic physiological mechanisms that govern cereal development as well as the development of breeding strategies that can be directly applied to achieve sustainable improvements in agricultural productivity.
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue “Advances in Molecular Plant Physiology and Genomic Breeding of Cereals” in the CIMB.
This Special Issue aims to bridge plant physiology with molecular biology and genomics, highlighting research that deciphers the molecular mechanisms underlying physiological traits and applies these insights to innovative breeding approaches. Contributions that integrate molecular signaling, stress-response pathways, hormone regulation, nutrient-use efficiency and genome-enabled breeding strategies are particularly encouraged.
These topics align closely with the scope of CIMB, which emphasizes molecular mechanisms in biological systems, including plants, and their applications in biotechnology and agriculture. Studies that combine molecular signaling, hormone-mediated physiological regulation, stress-response pathways and molecular breeding approaches in cereals are particularly relevant, as they integrate plant physiology with genomics to uncover the mechanisms underlying growth, development and stress adaptation, translating this knowledge into practical crop-improvement strategies.
By bringing together high-impact articles, including original research, reviews and short communications, this Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive, mechanistic understanding of cereal plant physiology and its application in genomics-assisted crop improvement. If the target number of articles is reached, the Issue may also be compiled into a dedicated e‑book, enhancing its visibility and impact in the plant science and agricultural research communities.
For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Molecular and physiological mechanism underlying growth, development and stress tolerance in cereals;
- Molecular breeding, genomics selection and genome-editing strategies for cereal improvement;
- Genotype–environment interactions and cereal adaptations to different effects of climate change;
- Innovation phenotyping methods and multiomics approaches for crop enhancement;
- Translation of molecular and physiological insights into practical agronomic and breeding strategies.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
You may choose our Joint Special Issue in IJMS.
Dr. Abdullah Shalmani
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- cereals
- molecular physiology
- genomic breeding
- stress tolerance
- functional genomics
- genome editing
- QTL mapping
- multiomics
- genotype–environment interactions
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