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Dissecting Plant-Environment Interactions with Modern Tools and Techniques: In the Climate Change Era

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 5159

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rahul Mahadev Shelake

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Guest Editor

Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 501, Republic of Korea
Interests: CRISPR/Cas; plant engineering; plant–environment interactions; plant-microbe interactions; genome editing

Dr. Ritesh Kumar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Agronomy & Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
Interests: abiotic stress in plants; cell-to-cell communication; crop improvement; genome editing; plasmodesmata; plant stress

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Understanding the molecular aspects of plant–environment interactions such as plant–plant, plant-biotic, and plant-abiotic factors is crucial to design climate-smart crops for the future. Plants are sessile in nature and have, therefore, evolved several unique mechanisms to interact with environmental factors. Plant-biotic interactions include microbes as major interaction partners. They continuously communicate with each other while sharing their habitat and food. Beneficial, commensal or pathogenic are the three major types of plant-biotic interactions. Apart from the involvement in plant growth and reproduction, plant-abiotic interactions comprise several stressors such as salinity, drought, waterlogging, heat, cold, heavy metals, radiation, and nutrient deficiencies. Recent advances in tool developments are helping to explore the detailed mechanisms involved in plant interaction with these various factors. Gaining molecular insights into plant interactions and their exploitation for agricultural purposes would be beneficial to achieving the "zero hunger" goal set by the United Nations in 2015 during this climate-change era.

Researchers are encouraged to contribute research articles or reviews related to plant-environment interactions and applications of different tools, including genome editing, pyrosequencing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS), which add to our understanding of plant interactions with any of the biotic or abiotic factors. In addition, modern tools such as CRISPR/Cas9, base editing, and prime editing for plant biology that may help to explore the molecular aspects in plant interactions for basic and applied research will be considered. Papers describing the basics and applications for crop improvement related to the above-mentioned topics, including the isolation and identification of plant-beneficial microbes, plant-pathogenic interactions, climate-smart crops, and designer crops, will also be considered.

Dr. Rahul Mahadev Shelake
Dr. Ritesh Kumar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

climate change
plant–environment interactions
plant-abiotic interactions
plant-biotic interactions
genome editing
plant-microbe interactions
pyrosequencing

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 3510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dissecting Genotype by Environment Interactions in Moroccan Wheat: An Advanced Biplot and Heatmap Analysis Unveiling Agronomic, Quality Traits, and Genotypic Stability for Tailored Breeding Strategies

by Oussama Hnizil, Aziz Baidani, Ilham Khlila, Mouna Taghouti, Nasserelhaq Nsarellah and Ali Amamou

Plants 2024, 13(8), 1068; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081068 - 10 Apr 2024

Viewed by 662

Abstract

This five-year study (2016–2021) across diverse Moroccan agro-climatic zones investigated genotype by environment (G × E) interactions in wheat, focusing on variations in agronomic traits and quality attributes such as protein and gluten content. Significant environmental effects were observed on key traits, like yield, thousand kernel weight (TKW), and spikes per square meter (Spk/m²), highlighting environmental factors’ role in wheat yield variability. In the Tassaout (TST) location, notable genotypic effects emerged for traits like biomass, underscoring genetic factors’ importance in specific contexts, while in Sidi El Aidi (SEA) and Marchouch (MCH), genotypic effects on yield and its components were predominantly absent, indicating a more substantial environmental influence. These findings illustrate the complexity of G × E interactions and the need for breeding strategies considering genetic potential and environmental adaptability, especially given the trade-offs between yield enhancement and quality maintenance. Insights from the biplot and heatmap analyses enhanced the understanding of genotypes’ dynamic interactions with environmental factors, establishing a basis for strategic genotype selection and management to optimize wheat yield and quality. This research contributes to sustainable wheat breeding in Morocco, aligning with global efforts to adapt wheat breeding strategies to changing climatic conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dissecting Plant-Environment Interactions with Modern Tools and Techniques: In the Climate Change Era)

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18 pages, 2394 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hemibiotrophic Phytophthora infestans Modulates the Expression of SWEET Genes in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

by Hemant B. Kardile, Suhas Gorakh Karkute, Clarissa Challam, Nirmal Kant Sharma, Rahul Mahadev Shelake, Prashant Govindrao Kawar, Virupaksh U. Patil, Rupesh Deshmukh, Vinay Bhardwaj, Kumar Nishant Chourasia and Srikar Duttasai Valluri

Plants 2023, 12(19), 3433; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193433 - 29 Sep 2023

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Abstract

Sugar Efflux transporters (SWEET) are involved in diverse biological processes of plants. Pathogens have exploited them for nutritional gain and subsequently promote disease progression. Recent studies have implied the involvement of potato SWEET genes in the most devastating late blight disease caused by Phytophthora infestans. Here, we identified and designated 37 putative SWEET genes as StSWEET in potato. We performed detailed in silico analysis, including gene structure, conserved domains, and phylogenetic relationship. Publicly available RNA-seq data was harnessed to retrieve the expression profiles of SWEET genes. The late blight-responsive SWEET genes were identified from the RNA-seq data and then validated using quantitative real-time PCR. The SWEET gene expression was studied along with the biotrophic (SNE1) and necrotrophic (PiNPP1) marker genes of P. infestans. Furthermore, we explored the co-localization of P. infestans resistance loci and SWEET genes. The results indicated that nine transporter genes were responsive to the P. infestans in potato. Among these, six transporters, namely StSWEET10, 12, 18, 27, 29, and 31, showed increased expression after P. infestans inoculation. Interestingly, the observed expression levels aligned with the life cycle of P. infestans, wherein expression of these genes remained upregulated during the biotrophic phase and decreased later on. In contrast, StSWEET13, 14, and 32 didn’t show upregulation in inoculated samples suggesting non-targeting by pathogens. This study underscores these transporters as prime P. infestans targets in potato late blight, pivotal in disease progression, and potential candidates for engineering blight-resistant potato genotypes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dissecting Plant-Environment Interactions with Modern Tools and Techniques: In the Climate Change Era)

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Review

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18 pages, 4878 KiB

Open AccessReview

Inoculation and Screening Methods for Major Sorghum Diseases Caused by Fungal Pathogens: Claviceps africana, Colletotrichum sublineola, Sporisorium reilianum, Peronosclerospora sorghi and Macrophomina phaseolina

by Ezekiel Ahn, Coumba Fall, Jacob Botkin, Shaun Curtin, Louis K. Prom and Clint Magill

Plants 2023, 12(9), 1906; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091906 - 7 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2823

Abstract

Sorghum is the fifth most important crop globally. Researching interactions between sorghum and fungal pathogens is essential to further elucidate plant defense mechanisms to biotic stress, which allows breeders to employ genetic resistance to disease. A variety of creative and useful inoculation and screening methods have been developed by sorghum pathologists to study major fungal diseases. As inoculation and screening methods can be keys for successfully conducting experiments, it is necessary to summarize the techniques developed by this research community. Among many fungal pathogens of sorghum, here we summarize inoculation and screening methods for five important fungal pathogens of sorghum: Claviceps africana, Colletotrichum sublineola, Sporisorium reilianum, Peronosclerospora sorghi and Macrophomina phaseolina. The methods described within will be useful for researchers who are interested in exploring sorghum-fungal pathogen interactions. Finally, we discuss the latest biotechnologies and methods for studying plant-fungal pathogen interactions and their applicability to sorghum pathology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dissecting Plant-Environment Interactions with Modern Tools and Techniques: In the Climate Change Era)

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