About this Research Topic
Grains are major sources of protein, oil, fatty acids, amino acids, isoflavones, and minerals for human nutrition and livestock meal. Breeding and genetic engineering succeeded in producing varieties with modified high protein and desired specific fatty acids and nutrients to meet protein meal requirements for human consumption and livestock, and industry needs for oil processing. However, diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, and insects, result not only in yield reduction and losses, but also in poor grain health and nutritional qualities, altering chemical composition of infected grains, deteriorating marketable grain quality, and threatening seed sustainability and food security. Therefore, keeping grains healthy by maintaining adequate levels of these nutrients or improving crop grain varieties is critical.
Diseases such as charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina and phomopsis caused by Phomopsis longicolla result in yield loss, grain damage and poor nutritional qualities in grain crops. In addition, diseased grains may contain toxic compounds from mycotoxins, affecting human and animal health. Certain governments have even imposed aflatoxin regulations limiting grain usage due to aflatoxin contamination levels. Thus, controlling diseases, varietal development to diseases, and understanding crops defense mechanisms from physiological to molecular level is crucial. The current research topic focuses on studies that explore the impact of diseases caused by soil or air-borne pathogens and insects on grain health and nutritional qualities of major grain crops such as soybean, corn, rice, and wheat. New strategies on biological control and varietal development using breeding and genetic engineering in grain crops are also welcome in this article collection.
We invite researchers to submit their Original Research Papers, Review Papers, and Mini-Reviews. The scope of this Research Topic will fall in the following research areas, but not limited to:
• Physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms involved in plant defense resistance and immune response to maintain or enhance grain nutritional value.
• Using RILs for creating genetic maps, identifying QTLs and genes associated with desirable traits related to high grain nutritional qualities, and understanding defense mechanisms to diseases.
• Signaling pathways and gene expression regulating disease resistance and related to grain nutrition.
• Use of developed breeding lines resistant to diseases as a means of controlling disease infection and maintain grain nutritional qualities.
• Best agricultural practices such as the most advanced biological control techniques, bioplastic treatments as effective and efficient delivery of biocontrol agents for diseases; and use of germplasm and resistant varieties to diseases to maintain high nutritional qualities of grains.
Please note that descriptive studies and those defining gene families or descriptive collection of transcripts, proteins, or metabolites, will not be considered for review unless they are expanded and provide mechanistic and/or physiological insights into the biological system or process being studied.
Diseases such as charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina and phomopsis caused by Phomopsis longicolla result in yield loss, grain damage and poor nutritional qualities in grain crops. In addition, diseased grains may contain toxic compounds from mycotoxins, affecting human and animal health. Certain governments have even imposed aflatoxin regulations limiting grain usage due to aflatoxin contamination levels. Thus, controlling diseases, varietal development to diseases, and understanding crops defense mechanisms from physiological to molecular level is crucial. The current research topic focuses on studies that explore the impact of diseases caused by soil or air-borne pathogens and insects on grain health and nutritional qualities of major grain crops such as soybean, corn, rice, and wheat. New strategies on biological control and varietal development using breeding and genetic engineering in grain crops are also welcome in this article collection.
We invite researchers to submit their Original Research Papers, Review Papers, and Mini-Reviews. The scope of this Research Topic will fall in the following research areas, but not limited to:
• Physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms involved in plant defense resistance and immune response to maintain or enhance grain nutritional value.
• Using RILs for creating genetic maps, identifying QTLs and genes associated with desirable traits related to high grain nutritional qualities, and understanding defense mechanisms to diseases.
• Signaling pathways and gene expression regulating disease resistance and related to grain nutrition.
• Use of developed breeding lines resistant to diseases as a means of controlling disease infection and maintain grain nutritional qualities.
• Best agricultural practices such as the most advanced biological control techniques, bioplastic treatments as effective and efficient delivery of biocontrol agents for diseases; and use of germplasm and resistant varieties to diseases to maintain high nutritional qualities of grains.
Please note that descriptive studies and those defining gene families or descriptive collection of transcripts, proteins, or metabolites, will not be considered for review unless they are expanded and provide mechanistic and/or physiological insights into the biological system or process being studied.
Keywords: grains, disease mechanism, nutritional value, quality, biological control, breeding
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.
