About this Research Topic

Background

As a result of climate change, a multitude of abiotic and biotic stresses are emerging, and their combination, known as multifactorial stresses, has a significant impact on crop yields and microbiota. Escalating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels further exacerbate the impacts of climate change. Until recently, efforts primarily concentrated on deciphering individual complex traits such as drought, heat, salinity, herbicide tolerance, and specific biotic stresses.

However, a comprehensive understanding of the genetics underlying multifactorial stresses and their influence on microbiomes is crucial for devising strategies and developing climate-resilient crop varieties. Biological fixation of CO2 by plants and microorganisms emerges as a paramount and effective process in mitigating climate change. Furthermore, carbon sequestration is integral to net carbon assimilation, net carbon neutrality, and biomass accumulation. It involves capturing and storing atmospheric carbon in vegetation, soils, and other organic matter; thereby playing a vital role in mitigating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability.

This Research Topic aims to address the pressing issue of emerging and multifactorial stresses affecting global crops. In recent years, researchers have focused on unraveling the genetics and genomics of these stresses worldwide. High-throughput phenotyping, genotyping, and artificial intelligence-based approaches are deployed to understand the impacts of multifactorial stresses on plant survival and microbiomes. Ongoing efforts seek to characterize microbial communities in soil, root zones, and leaves, offering potential solutions for enhancing crop production and ecosystem restoration. Next-generation sequencing technologies, advanced deep learning models, and genomics-based approaches accelerate our comprehension of host-pathogen/insect interactions in native environments.

Authors are invited to contribute to this article collection by addressing the following, but not limited to, key areas:

- Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Crops for Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

- Genetic Resources and Gene/QTL discovery for Crop nutrition and quality traits

- Exploration of next-generation sequencing technologies and advanced deep learning models in unraveling host-pathogen/insect interactions and plant symbiotic relationships

- Investigating the role of microbial communities in mitigating pathogens, understanding soil microbiome dynamics for enhancing crop productivity, and contributing to terrestrial/biological carbon sequestration

- Genomic studies on carbon sequestration, microbial communities, key genes, and pathways involved in combating climate change

- Utilization of genomic and phenomic approaches to understanding multifactorial stresses and the development of climate-resilient crops through innovative design strategies

- Understanding the genomics of crops in rotation

- Role of carbon sequestration in net carbon assimilation, net carbon neutrality, and biomass accumulation

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: plant survival, microbiomes, plant-genomics, ecosystem restoration, carbon sequestration, climate change

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.

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