About this Research Topic
The dynamics of initiation, maintenance, and differentiation of meristems are also important agricultural traits for crop yield, as they directly determine grain number per spike/panicle and spike/panicle number per plant (also called tiller) among the three yield components. Many important agricultural crops, including rice, wheat, maize, and barley, are members of the grass family, which is one of the largest in angiosperms. Exploring the knowledge of meristem would shed light on how to increase the yield of these crops.
Using model plants like Arabidopsis and rice, we have made significant progress in our understanding of meristem maintenance and differentiation. Meanwhile, a growing number of genes or QTLs have been discovered as contributing to crop yield by controlling meristem activity in plants. However, there is a gap between theoretical research and practical implementation of plant meristems in crop yield enhancement. The goal of this Research Topic is to integrate our understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant meristem establishment, maintenance and differentiation as well as their possible applications in crop yield enhancement.
We welcome submissions of original research papers, reviews, and methods, including (but not limited to) research on the following sub-themes:
• Genetic and epigenetic regulation of plant meristem maintenance and organogenesis
• Plant meristem maintenance in response to biotic or abiotic stresses
• Dynamic development of grass inflorescence morphology specification
• Crop tiller determination
• Crop seeds/yield determination
• Crop plant-type determination
Disclaimer: We welcome submissions of different types of related manuscripts, but descriptive studies lacking significant biological advances would be rejected without peer review.
Keywords: Plant meristem, Crop yield, Spike/panicle development, Meristem maintenance and differentiation
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.