Prakash Babu Adhikari
Raju Datla
Ryushiro Dora Kasahara- 1Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
- 2Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Editorial on the Research Topic
Regulation of ovule and seed development
Introduction
Seeds and their products play pivotal roles in agriculture and its sustainability by influencing global food security and crop productivity. Plant reproduction and seed take central stage in increasing biodiversity and plant evolution, offering the potential resilience of the offspring to the changing environment (Pereira and Coimbra, 2019). The developmental processes behind ovule and seed formation are intricately regulated by genetic, physiological, and environmental factors. Enhanced understanding of the ovule/seed-associated characteristics and manipulation of molecular machineries to adapt and cope with climate change are crucial for food safety in the future (Reed et al., 2022; Sinha et al., 2021). This Research Topic, “Regulation of ovule and seed development,” explores these dynamics and presents diverse studies that advance our understanding on the subject.
Current Research Topic delves into subjects ranging from fundamental mechanisms of reproductive biology to practical strategies for enhancing crop resilience under environmental stresses. Since seed-based traits are pivotal in maintaining and conferring biodiversity, insights into their development and adaptation are critical to cope with issues like climate change, food scarcity, and effective management of underutilized marginal lands.
This focused Research Topic presents four unique contributions, each offering insights into different aspects of plant reproduction and seed-related traits. While some of these studies align directly with ovule and seed development, others provide complementary perspectives, broadening the narrative of the Research Topic.
Unraveling male gametogenesis: auxin's role in pollen development
Seed development via sexual reproduction essentially relies on the successful delivery of male gametes to fuse with egg cell residing in the embryo sac of female gametophyte. Hence, coordinated and precise development of male and female gametes is essentialin the process. Here, Cui et al. discuss the molecular mechanisms behind microsporogenesis and micro-gametogenesis with references to recent relevant studies. The authors highlight the crucial role of auxin in defining archesporial cell specialization and the importance of pre-mitotic microspore maturation and offer prospects for future studies.
Climate stress and seed development: adapting for resilience
The relevance of environmental stresses to seed development is explored by Erfatpour et al., who examined the impacts of climate change on reproductive success across crop species. By integrating evidence on the effects of temperature, drought, and salinity, they highlight the vulnerability of ovule and seed formation to abiotic stress. This work underscores the need for climate resilient crops and adaptive agricultural practices. Importantly, the authors also propose future research directions, such as identifying genetic pathways that can be harnessed for breeding stress-tolerant crop varieties.
Cracking cotton's genetic code: the HACD pathway in seed oil biosynthesis
Expanding the focus to molecular mechanisms, Yan et al. investigate the HACD gene family in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Their study identifies GhHACD2 as a key regulator of very long-chain fatty acid biosynthesis, a trait that influences cottonseed oil content and quality. The authors, however, also observed its higher expression in the low oil-producing genotype at the critical oil accumulation phase of development as compared to that in the high oil-producing lines. They corroborated their observation with its heterologous expression in yeast and recorded a significant reduction in total oil content. This finding is first of its kind regarding the role of an HACD member in the regulation of cottonseed oil content.
Surviving karst: alfalfa germination under environmental stress
The study by Zhou et al. explores how karst-specific environmental stresses—drought, calcium salts, and pH variations—affect the germination and growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), an important forage crop of the karst region. The study observed that the root systems of the seedlings are more sensitive to the assessed abiotic stresses. The findings made in the study offer a reference for screening and selection of suitable plants to cultivate in the karst region.
Collectively, the four studies presented in the Research Topic focused on ovule and seed spanning from gametophyte development to seed germination. By addressing diverse aspects of ovule and seed biology, they contribute significantly to advancing this critical field. The insights presented here are expected to contribute future research directions in this important research field by integrating molecular biology, genetics, and applied agronomy to develop resilient crop systems.
We are grateful to the authors and reviewers who contributed their expertise to this Research Topic, enriching our understanding of the field relevant to ovule and seed development and its broader future prospects.
Author contributions
PA: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. RD: Writing – review & editing. RK: Writing – review & editing.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher's note
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References
Pereira, A. M., and Coimbra, S. (2019). Advances in plant reproduction: from gametes to seeds. J. Exp. Bot. 70, 2933–2936. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erz227
Reed, R. C., Bradford, K. J., and Khanday, I. (2022). Seed germination and vigor: ensuring crop sustainability in a changing climate. Heredity 128, 450–459. doi: 10.1038/s41437-022-00497-2
Keywords: seed development, climate change, gametogenesis, seed oil, karst
Citation: Adhikari PB, Datla R and Kasahara RD (2025) Editorial: Regulation of ovule and seed development. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 8:1542783. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1542783
Received: 10 December 2024; Accepted: 19 December 2024;
Published: 07 January 2025.
Edited and reviewed by: Maryke T. Labuschagne, University of the Free State, South Africa
Copyright © 2025 Adhikari, Datla and Kasahara. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Prakash Babu Adhikari, YWRoaWthcmkucHJha2FzaC5iYWJ1Lms2JiN4MDAwNDA7Zi5tYWlsLm5hZ295YS5hYy5qcA==