Ali Raza

Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University | FAFU

A better understanding of crop genomes reveals that structural variations (SVs) are crucial for genetic improvement. A graph-based pan-genome by Yan et al. uncovered 424 085 genomic SVs and provided novel insights into heat tolerance of pearl millet. We discuss how these SVs can fast-track pearl millet breeding under harsh environments.

CRISPR/Cas9 gene technology is transported as RNA from transgenic roots to distal parts of unmodified grafted scion, where it is translated into proteins to induce heritable mutagenesis at desired loci. This technique has the potential to produce transgene-free and genetically stable plants in difficult-to-propagate and near-extinct species.

Salinity and drought stress substantially decrease crop yield and superiority, directly threatening the food supply needed to meet the rising food needs of the growing total population. Nanotechnology is a step towards improving agricultural output and stress tolerance by improving the efficacy of inputs in agriculture via targeted delivery, contro...

Crop wild relatives (CWRs) deliver untapped genetic diversity as they contain valuable breeding traits absent in the cultivated pool, e.g., traits imparting climate resilience. Facilitating genetic material from CWRs to breeding programs can advance effective traits and broaden the genetic base of cultivated crops (Bohra et al., 2022). The availabi...

Global climate variations induce extreme temperatures and significantly decrease crop production, leading to food insecurity worldwide. Temperature extremes (mainly cold stress (CS): chilling 0–15°C and freezing <0°C temperatures) limit plant growth and development and severely affect plant physiology and biochemical and molecular processes. Subseq...

The limited germination capacity of stevia is a serious problem in stevia cultivation. Drought stress is one of the most important environmental constraints that impact seed germination and the early growth of many crops. This study’s objective was to assess the effects of foliar application of different plant growth promoters (PGPs), including sal...

Food safety has occurred as a high-urgency issue for sustainable agricultural production. Heavy metal (HM)/metalloid toxicity in soil and water substantially impacts agricultural productivity, which is beyond heightened by intense anthropogenic activities and innovative agricultural systems, putting food safety and human health at threat. Other tha...

Genes of the UbiA prenyltransferase family play key roles in secondary metabolites synthesis and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance through different metabolic pathways. Currently, there is a notable lack of comprehensive information on the UbiA genes in legumes, particularly in peanuts. To bridge this gap, we conducted a detailed genome-wide anal...

Climate-change-induced extreme temperatures significantly impact crop production worldwide. Therefore, this Special Issue is focused on “Developing Temperature-Resilient Plants: Responses and Mitigation Strategies”. Several authors have contributed novel research and review articles to this Special Issue, covering various directions of genetics, ge...

The global mean temperature is increasing at a rapid pace due to the rapid emission of greenhouse gases majorly from anthropogenic practices and is predicted to rise up to 1.5˚C above the pre-industrial level by the year 2050. The warming climate is affecting global crop production by altering biochemical, physiological, and metabolic processes res...

The 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), an antioxidant, has been widely reported to participate in coping with different abiotic stresses. Among which, salinity greatly impacts the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth and production. The effect of 5-ALA spray (7.62 mM) was assessed to endure the adverse effect of salt stress on sunflower by using two...

Amplified concentrations of lead (Pb) in cultivable soils, being a major environmental concern, bring about malicious consequences for plant and human health. Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) is a multipurpose herb used as a spice, tonic, leafy vegetable, and therapeutic agent. Earlier works have revealed the inhibitory effects of Pb toxicity...

Salinity is one of the main abiotic stresses, which adversely affects the growth, and development and ultimately yield of crop plants. In recent years, phytohormones have been involved in reducing the adverse effects of salt stress. For instance, phytohormone auxin is important for stabilizing the cellular pH environment and activating Na+/H+ antip...

Climate change significantly impacts crop production by inducing several abiotic and biotic stresses. The increasing world population, and their food and industrial demands require focused efforts to improve crop plants to ensure sustainable food production. Among various modern biotechnological tools, microRNAs (miRNAs) are one of the fascinating...

The daunting task of feeding an ever-growing population is an immense challenge for the contemporary scientific community, especially in view of the rapidly changing climate throughout the world. Amidst these threatening crises, we witness rapid development in genome editing (GE) technologies, revolutionizing the field of applied genomics and molec...

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important crop for edible oil, vegetables, and biofuel. Rapeseed growth and development require a minimum temperature of ~1-3 °C. Notably, frost damage occurs during overwintering, posing a serious threat to the productivity and yield of rapeseed. MYB proteins are important transcription factors (TFs) in plants, a...

As part of human nutrition, organic fertilizer decreases chemical fertilizers exposure and increases plant nutritional value, which is a major concern nowadays. This study highlights the current state of knowledge on the effect of drought stress and amino acid application to avert drought damage to two spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) varieties at th...

Cadmium (Cd+2), a potentially toxic element, inhibits growth and development of several plant species, especially medicinal plants. However, exogenous supplementation of various hormones, compounds and signaling molecules helps to mitigate the impact of Cd+2 toxicity. Medicinal value of plants in today's era cannot be undermined. Silybum marianum (...

Papain-like cysteine proteases (PLCPs) play essential roles in plant growth, senescence, and stress responses. However, researches on the PLCP genes are limited in cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Here, we identified and analyzed AhPLCP genes in cultivated peanut using bioinformatic approaches and verified the involvement of AhRD21B in resp...

A better understanding of crop genomes reveals that structural variations (SVs) are crucial for genetic improvement. A graph-based pan-genome by Yan et al. uncovered 424 085 genomic SVs and provided novel insights into heat tolerance of pearl millet. We discuss how these SVs can fast-track pearl millet breeding under harsh environments.

Plant architecture is the three dimensional organization of aerial parts of plants that consist of pattern of branching, structure and position of leaves and floral organs. The environmental stresses affect the overall fitness and productivity by changing the architecture of a plant. The architecture of different plants needs modifications for the...

Despite having a significant medicinal potential and the ability to produce nodules, mungbean production and quality not meet consumer need. Its production and quality can be improved in an economically and sustainably sound manner by auxin and cytokinin that are generated in the rhizosphere as a result of precursor-inoculum interaction. For this p...

Drought stress is an inevitable factor that disturbs the production of plants by altering morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular functions. Breeding for drought tolerance requires a complete understanding of the molecular factors controlling stress-responsive pathways. The plant responds to drought stress by adopting four mechanis...

Cultivated peanut ( Arachis hypogaea ) is a leading protein and oil-providing crop and food source in many countries. At the same time, it is affected by a number of biotic and abiotic stresses. O-methyltransferases ( OMTs ) play important roles in secondary metabolism, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. However, the OMT genes have not been compr...

Plants are decisive for nurturing life on Earth, but climate change threatens global food security, poverty decrease, and sustainable agriculture [1,2]. Climate change events, such as altered rainfall patterns, mega-fires, droughts, soil salinity, floods, extreme temperatures, and spreading pests and diseases, are becoming more frequent and severe....

Salinity stress is a well-known abiotic stress that has been shown to have a negative impact on crop growth, production, and soil richness. The current study was intended to ameliorate salt stress in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.), keeping in mind the detrimental influence of salt stress. A pot experimentation was executed on B. juncea to exam...

Drought stress poorly impacts many morphological and physio-biochemical processes in plants. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) plants are highly nutritious crops destined for human consumption; however, their productivity is threatened under drought stress. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is well-known essential micronutrient, acting as a cofactor in key metabolic proc...

Abstract: Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important food and feed crop worldwide and is affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses. The cellular ATP levels decrease significantly during stress as ATP molecules move to extracellular spaces, resulting in increased ROS production and cell apoptosis. Apyrases (APYs) are the nucleoside phosphata...

Crop plants are vulnerable to various biotic and abiotic stresses, whereas plants tend to retain their physiological mechanisms by evolving cellular regulation. To mitigate the adverse effects of abiotic stresses, many defense mechanisms are induced in plants. One of these mechanisms is the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, a signali...

Climate change and abiotic stress factors are key players in crop losses worldwide. Among which, extreme temperatures (heat and cold) disturb plant growth and development, reduce productivity and, in severe cases, lead to plant death. Plants have developed numerous strategies to mitigate the detrimental impact of temperature stress. Exposure to str...

Climate change seriously impacts global agriculture, with rising temperatures directly affecting the yield. Vegetables are an essential part of daily human consumption and thus have importance among all agricultural crops. The human population is increasing daily, so there is a need for alternative ways which can be helpful in maximizing the harves...

Peanut is an important food and feed crop, providing oil and protein nutrients. Germins and germin-like proteins (GLPs) are ubiquitously present in plants playing numerous roles in defense, growth and development, and different signaling pathways. However, the GLP members have not been comprehensively studied in peanut at the genome-wide scale. We...

The world has experienced an unprecedented boom in nanotechnology. Nanoparticles (NPs) are likely to act as biostimulants in various plants due to having high surface/volume value. However, understanding the actual effect of NPs is essential to discriminate them from other counterparts in terms of being applicable, safe and cost-effective. This stu...

Wheat is a crop of historical significance, as it marks the turning point of human civilization 10,000 years ago with its domestication. Due to the rapid increase in population, wheat production needs to be increased by 50% by 2050 and this growth will be mainly based on yield increases, as there is strong competition for scarce productive arable l...

Domestication of orphan crops could be explored by editing their genomes. Genome editing has a lot of promise for enhancing agricultural output, and there is a lot of interest in furthering breeding in orphan crops, which are sometimes plagued with unwanted traits that resemble wild cousins. Consequently, applying model crop knowledge to orphan cro...

High population shifts and climate change are putting thrust on the food industry, especially edible oil production. Monoculture of high-input crops certainly affects the crop yield and soil health. The import of edible oil is increasing in the major part of the world, putting some burden on the national exchequer of the countries. The current oil...

Arsenic (As) contaminated food chains have emerged as a serious public concern for humans and animals and are known to affect the cultivation of edible crops throughout the world. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the individual as well as the combined effects of exogenous silicon (Si) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric...

Salinity is one of the major abiotic factors that limit the growth and productivity of plants. Foliar application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) may help plants ameliorate the negative impacts of salinity. Thus, a field experiment was conducted at the Botanical Garden University of Balochistan, Quetta, to explore the potential role of PGRs, i.e....

Banana is a tropical crop cultivated in warm places. Chilling stress in Egypt is making banana crops less productive. Abscisic acid (ABA), a key plant hormone, regulates metabolic and physiological processes and protects plants from a variety of stresses. In vitro growing banana shoots were pre-treated with ABA at four concentrations (0, 25, 50, an...

Global climate changes cause extreme temperatures and a significant reduction in crop production, leading to food insecurity worldwide. Temperature extremes (including both heat and cold stresses) is one of the most limiting factors in plant growth and development and severely affect plant physiology, biochemical, and molecular processes. Biostimul...

Global climate changes cause extreme temperatures and a significant reduction in crop production, leading to food insecurity worldwide. Temperature extremes (including both heat and cold stresses) is one of the most limiting factors in plant growth and development and severely affect plant physiology, biochemical, and molecular processes. Biostimul...

In nature, plants are frequently exposed to various stresses simultaneously. The effects of salinity stress on plant metabolism are well known, but little has been researched on how amino acid application alleviates abiotic stress. In the present experiment, four maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes (FH-1275, FH-936, FH-1231, and FH-1227) were studied usi...

Plant abiotic stresses endanger crop production and food security to a growing degree under the present climate change scenario. This calls for effective measures to be deployed to increase the level of agricultural production to meet the needs of soaring world population. Application of osmo-protectants and soluble sugars were reported to counter...

Breeding crop plants with increased yield potential and improved tolerance to stressful environments is critical for global food security. Drought stress (DS) adversely affects agricultural productivity worldwide and is expected to rise in the coming years. Therefore, it is vital to understand the physiological, biochemical, molecular, and ecologic...

Accumulation of high sodium (Na +) leads to disruption of metabolic processes and decline in plant growth and productivity. Therefore, this study was undertaken to clarify how Na + /H + exchangers and Na + /K + transporter genes contribute to Na + homeostasis and the substantial involvement of lignin biosynthesis genes in salt tolerance in alfalfa...

Backgrounds The BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT (BZR) family of transcription factors affects a variety of developmental and physiological processes and plays a key role in multiple stress-resistance functions in plants. However, the evolutionary relationship and individual expression patterns of the BZR genes are unknown in various crop plants. Methods an...

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oilseed crop globally. However, its growth and production are significantly influenced by cold stress. To reveal the protective role of exogenous melatonin (MEL) in cold tolerance, rapeseed seedlings were pretreated with different concentrations of MEL before cold stress. The results indicated that the s...

Agriculture's sustainability depends on the need to use practices and technologies that are environmentally friendly and have no bad impact on the environment, are cost-effective and easily accessible to farmers, resulting in overall food productivity enhancement. Additionally, the positive outcomes of sustainable agriculture can be carbon balance,...

Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus L.) is a commercial ornamental plant cultivated for its inflorescences. Improving quality and vase life (VL) of gladiolus inflorescences is an important research topic for both the growers and the sellers. For this reason, we studied the effects of preharvest potassium (K⁺) foliar application on postharvest physiol...

Salinity stress and the absence of light negatively impact growth and development of the plants. Morpho-physiological and biochemical attributes of maize ( Zea mays L.) get severely affected by salt stress and subdue light. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted under the prevailing environmental conditions of Turbat, Balochistan, to explore eti...

Abiotic stresses are one of the significant threats to soybean (Glycine max L.) growth and yields worldwide. Soybean has a crucial role in the global food supply chain and food security and contributes the main protein share compared to other crops. Hence, there is a vast scientific saddle on soybean researchers to develop tolerant genotypes to mee...

As one of the most important and largest transcription factors, WRKY plays a critical role in plant disease resistance. However, little is known regarding the functions of the WRKY family in cultivated peanuts ( Arachis hypogaea L.). In this study, a total of 174 WRKY genes ( AhWRKY ) were identified from the genome of cultivated peanuts. Phylogene...

Background Tobacco is an important economic crop, but the quality and yield have been severely impaired by bacterial wilt disease (BWD) caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. Methods and results Here, we describe a transgenic approach to prevent BWD in tobacco plants. A new root-specific promoter of an NtR12 gene was successfully cloned. The NtR12 prom...