EditorialPlant Genetics and Gene Study

Yuri Shavrukov ,1 Nikolai Borisjuk ,2 and Narendra K. Gupta3

1Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering, Biological Sciences, Adelaide, Australia2School of Life Science, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, China3Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute, SKN Agriculture University, Durgapura, Jaipur, India

Correspondence should be addressed to Yuri Shavrukov; yuri.shavrukov@flinders.edu.au

Received 28 March 2019; Accepted 28 March 2019; Published 4 April 2019

Copyright © 2019 Yuri Shavrukov et al.�is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Plants are the primary source of human food and animal feedand also form the basis of numerous industrial and pharma-ceutical products. �is special issue reflects the diversity ofmodern research in the field of plant molecular genetics. Itcovers a wide range of modern technologies and scientificapproaches that aim to achieve a better understanding of thevarious aspects of molecular mechanisms underpinning thekey traits in major crops and other commercially importantplant species.

�ree papers in this issue deal with the development,study, and application of molecular markers in plant breed-ing. N. Kim et al. in “Development of Clustered ResistanceGene Analogs-Based Markers of Resistance to Phytophthoracapsici in Chili Pepper” reported on 11 novel molecular mark-ers targeting resistance to the soil-borne pathogen Phytoph-thora capsici in chili pepper.�e markers developed throughhigh-resolution melting analysis, represent an excellent toolfor marker-assisted selection. Another type of molecularmarkers, SSR, was used for the study of genetic diversityin cultivated and wild melon (J. Hu et al. “MicrosatelliteMarkers Reveal Genetic Diversity and Relationships within aMelon Collection Mainly Comprising Asian Cultivated andWild Germplasms”). �e authors found enormous geneticvariability within the collection, and deployment of the well-known SSR markers enabled the generation of a phylogenetictree showing the relationships between melon accessions.An investigation presented by R. Ben Ayed and A. Rebai(“Tunisian Table Olive Oil Traceability and Quality UsingSNP Genotyping and Bioinformatics Tools”) revealed a sig-nificant link between the five SNP markers analysed and thebiochemical composition and quality of olive fruits.

Several of the presented reports are related to the geneticcontrol of plant response to abiotic stresses. Drought isone of the major challenges being faced in agriculture.�e paper presented by N. M. Kamal et al. (“Stay-GreenQTLs Response in Adaptation to Post-Flowering DroughtDepends on the Drought Severity”) provides important find-ings on QTLs identified in sorghum grown in Sudan (Africa)under drought conditions. �e presented data, generated incooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), Austria, can be used for the improvement of grainyield in drought-prone environments using a “stay-green”approach through the application of QTL analysis. Toleranceto aluminum toxicity represents an entirely different typeof abiotic stress, but this too is an important agriculturalproblem, especially in acidic soils. �e paper “AluminumResponsive Genes in Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.)” pre-sented by G. S. Krasnov et al. reported valuable results fromRNAseq analysis and candidate gene identification for flaxgenotypes tolerant or sensitive to a high concentration ofAl.�e authors’ conclusions on glutathione metabolism, oxi-doreductase, and transmembrane transporters can be furtherapplied both in academic study and in practical breeding.Very few investigations have been conducted on plant growthin the absence of gravity during space-shuttle orbit aroundour planet. �e paper presented by O. Yu. Yurkevich etal. (“Molecular Cytogenetics of Pisum sativum L. Grownunder Spaceflight-Related Stress”) describes a chromosomeanalysis of pea progenies derived from plants grown inspace using a novel FISH approach. Minor chromosomerearrangements were observed in response to “spaceflight-related stress,” which could lead to better guidelines for

HindawiBioMed Research InternationalVolume 2019, Article ID 3560374, 2 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3560374

2 BioMed Research International

biological experiments with plants during future space-shuttle missions.

IAEA also supported a study on the generation ofmutant bread wheat with improved micronutrient contentin the grain. S. Kenzhebayeva et al. presented their paper“Mutant Lines of Spring Wheat with Increased Iron, Zinc,and Micronutrients in Grains and Enhanced BioavailabilityforHumanHealth,”where stable breeding lines of wheat wereproduced from the M

7generation. �e authors reported a

two-fold increase of Fe, Zn, and Ca, and reduced levels ofthe anti-nutrient phytic acid in grains, which can be directlyused in practical wheat breeding. In addition to radiation orchemical mutagenesis, inherited changes could be inducedby “genomic shock” in plants generated through interspecieshybridization. �is phenomenon was studied in rye-wheathybrids named “secalotriticum” by Y. A. Lipikhina et al. intheir paper “Dynamics of the Centromeric Histone CENH3Structure in Rye-Wheat Amphidiploids (Secalotriticum).”�is is an extremely intricate cytogenetic study of the cen-tromeric nucleosomes in dividing cells. �e authors pre-sented some critical results from CENH3 gene analysis, acentral player in this very complex cytological trait, offeringpromising potential outcomes.

A remarkable level of genetic polymorphism was foundin a germplasm collection of Phaseolus beans using diversecharacteristics derived from the seed morphology of thesespecies. L. Sinkovic et al. presented their paper “Morpholog-ical Seed Characterization of Common (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) and Runner (Phaseolus coccineus L.) Bean Germplasm: ASlovenian Gene Bank Example,” which contained an interest-ing comparison of seeds, accompanied by color images. �epresented findings are essential for a better understanding ofthe wide diversity of bean species, which can be directly usedfor genetics and breeding of these nutritionally importantcrop varieties. In contrast, another paper “In Silico Genome-WideAnalysis of theATP-BindingCassette TransporterGeneFamily in Soybean (Glycine max L.) and �eir ExpressionProfiling,” presented by A. K. Mishra et al., reported oncomputer analyses of available databases concerning theimportant gene family of theATP-binding cassette transporter,in soybean.�e authors provided a very accurate and detailedanalysis of all identified genes and protein isoforms, arrang-ing these new findings within the context of other pertinentinformation and comparisons.

P. Soundararajan et al. presented a detailed review entitled“Insight on Rosaceae Family with Genome Sequencing andFunctional Genomics Perspective.” �e Rosaceae family isone of the most significant plant families, and the fruits,berries, flowers, and many other important parts of theseplants are familiar to each of us from early childhood. �eauthors have provided a comprehensive overview on themodern level of genetic knowledge and technology employedin comparative genomics and functional genome analysis formany Rosaceae species. Whole genome sequences in thisplant family are so important for genetics, breeding, andagriculture that the presented review will surely be of broadgeneral interest to future investigations in this area.

In conclusion, the review presented by N. Borisjuk etal., entitled “Genetic Modification for Wheat Improvement:

From Transgenesis to Genome Editing,” summarizes theattempts and results of wheat improvement using variousgenetic engineering approaches. �e authors reflect theprogress achieved since the dawn of genetic transformationup until the recent emergence of precise modern genomeediting using CRISPR/Cas9 and related systems in wheat.�is comprehensive review can provide a strong stimulus forboth current and future researchers to pursue work on wheatimprovement, and deploy all available modern technologiesto secure a sustainable supply of quality agricultural producefor our growing global population.

Yuri ShavrukovNikolai Borisjuk

Narendra K. Gupta

Conflicts of Interest

�e authors declare that the research was conducted in theabsence of any potential conflicts of interest.

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