Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) of rice, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), is a significant quarantine disease. The pathogen exhibits both high genetic diversity and strong transmission capabilities. Driven by agricultural intensification and global warming, BLS has been progressively expanding across major indica rice-producing regions in southern China. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in Xoc-rice interaction mechanisms: 1) Pathogen perspective: Elucidating pathogenic mechanisms of virulence factors (including T2SS, T3SS, and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS)) and pathovar differentiation patterns; 2) Host perspective: Clarifying advances in PTI/ETI-mediated immunity signaling pathways, R gene cloning, and S gene editing; 3) Future directions: Proposing multi-omics approaches to decode Xoc pathogenicity networks, leveraging pan-genomics for large-scale mining of durable and broad-spectrum R genes, and constructing synergistic systems integrating S gene editing with immune activation to establish systematic solutions for sustainable BLS management.

The plant cell wall, composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and lignin, is a dynamically changing network structure, which not only plays the role of a key line of defence in the process of plant resistance to external pressure and adaptation to environmental changes, but also plays the role of an information hub in the process of signal transmission. When the cell wall is damaged, cells sense cell wall changes and make early immune responses, such as hormonal changes, alterations in wall composition and modifications, and the production of disease-resistant secondary metabolites. Although the importance of the cell wall in plant immunity is widely recognised, the specific molecular mechanisms by which cell wall damage triggers immune responses remain poorly understood. The application of in situ unlabelled imaging techniques in plant cells is gradually increasing and has become an important tool for studying cell wall structure and function. This paper describes the interaction mechanism between plant cell wall and immune response to provide a scientific basis for a deeper understanding of plant life activities and improve crop disease resistance, and describes in situ non-labelled imaging of the cell wall to provide more technological options for advancing the study of the cell wall in immune response.

Maize (Zea mays) is the main crop in China, and drought is a primary abiotic stress during its growth, resulting in direct reduction in grain yield and quality, thereby posing a threat to food security within the global climate context. At present, global climate change leads to extreme weather events, which aggravates the adverse effects on yield. Therefore, it is imperative to identify drought-resistant germplasm resources, elucidate the molecular mechanisms of drought stress response, and breed drought-resistant varieties. Here, we review recent advances in the genetic dissection of drought resistance in maize using methods such as genome-wide association study, quantitative trait locus gene cloning and multi-omics analysis. Additionally, we introduce potential strategies for genetic improvement of drought resistance by leveraging the identified genetic resources while discussing future perspectives within this research area.

Mitochondria and chloroplasts are semi-autonomous organelles harboring their own genomes. RNA editing is essential for the correct expression of organelle genes. The mostly identified RNA editing is cytidine (C)-to-uridine (U). Multiple editing factors have been reported to be involved in RNA C→U editing. The PPR-motifs array in PPR proteins specifically target editing sites, and the DYW domains in PPR-DYW proteins catalyze the deaminase in the C→U editing. This paper aims to review the recent advance of PPR proteins involved in RNA C→U editing, and to discuss the potential application value of synthetic PPR editing factors.

Maize (Zea mays) is a staple crop worldwide, serving as a major source for food, feedstock, and industrial materials. Flowering time, a key agronomic trait determining diverse environmental adaptation and yield potential of crops, is determined by two developmental transitions (namely vegetative phase change and floral transition), and complicatedly regulated by internal factors (such as genetic factors and plant hormones) and external environmental factors. Given the importance of flowering time, in this review, we summarize the research progresses on the regulation of the two-phase transitions in maize, mainly focusing on the aspects of structural basis, physiological basis, genetic basis and molecular mechanisms. We also highlight the contribution of key flowering regulators to geographical adaptation of maize, and discuss future research directions on flowering and application in breeding, aiming to deepen our understanding of the genetic regulation of maize flowering and provide a theoretical basis for genetic improvement of maize cultivars adapting to diverse environmental conditions.

Maize (Zea mays) is the major grain crop with the largest planting area and the highest total yield in China, and it is also a model of heterosis utilization. However, compared with developed countries, China is still facing several outstanding problems in maize production, such as low average yield, lack of breakthrough varieties and high cost of hybrid seed production. The main solution to these problems is the application of male-sterile lines with better heterosis utilization efficiency and thus increase the yield per unit area of maize. In this review, we summarize the latest advances of male sterility research in maize, including its classification, gene cloning and functional analysis, molecular regulatory network construction, and discuss the strategies of creating novel male-sterility systems and their potential/future application in maize breeding. This review provides guidelines for the male-sterility based/assisted hybrid breeding and seed production in maize.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely present in the genomes of eukaryotic organisms and play crucial roles in maintaining the biological activities of living organisms. In recent years, a large number of lncRNAs have been discovered in plants through high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. LncRNAs play important roles in regulating plant growth, development, and stress responses. Due to the complexity of the genome and the low efficient of genetic transformation, the functional analysis of lncRNA in maize is relatively lagging behind comparing with that in Arabidopsis and rice. Maize is a major staple crop in China, playing a critical role in ensuring national food security. It’s also an important model plant in the fields of genetics and genomics. Understanding the research progress of lncRNA in maize is highly beneficial for comprehending the biological functions of lncRNA. Mining and analyzing the molecular regulatory network of lncRNAs involved in maize development and stress response can provide potential molecular targets for future genetic improvement of maize. In this review, we summarized the sources, classification, and action mechanisms of lncRNAs, and reviewed the discovery of lncRNAs in maize and their biological functions in regulating growth, development, and stress responses. We also discussed the current research status and provided an outlook on future researches of lncRNAs in maize.

Plants encounter various abiotic stresses throughout their lifecycle, including heat, drought, and salt stress, all of which have diverse impacts on their growth and development. Global warming has exacerbated the impact of heat stress on crops such as maize, potentially leading to growth retardation and reduced reproductive capacity. As an important staple crop, the yield and quality of maize are severely compromised by heat stress. Plants respond to heat stress through complex molecular mechanisms involving multiple signal transduction pathways and the regulation of gene expression. It is crucial to use advanced techniques such as genetics, genomics, multi-omics analysis, and high-throughput phenotyping to extensively explore and analyze the genes and loci associated to abiotic stress tolerance, including heat stress, in the maize genome. These studies not only deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying maize stress tolerance but also provide valuable molecular markers and candidate gene resources for breeders to accelerate the development of new maize varieties.

Gene editing technology has become an important tool in crop breeding. Maize, one of the globally most important food crops, has been shown with great potential in the use of gene editing technology in genome research and breeding. In this paper, we reviewed the recent progress and applications of gene editing technology in maize research, with a focus on the latest achievements in maize genome editing by CRISPR/Cas. Firstly, we introduced the basic principles and types of gene editing technology, particularly the working mechanism of the CRISPR/Cas systems, and its application advantages in maize. Secondly, we summarized the research progress of gene editing technology in maize breeding, from basic genome editing to the editing of complex multi-gene regulation, aiming at the improvement of key traits such as yield, grain quality, and stress resistance. Finally, the outstanding research work in maize gene editing in China is presented and the existing issues of gene editing technology in maize breeding are discussed, along with an outlook on future development trends.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternal genetic trait widely found in higher plants. CMS is not only a favorable material for studying the interaction between cytoplasmic and nuclear genomes, but also a crucial foundation for plant heterosis utilization. Maize is one of the most successful example for the utilization of heterosis in crops, and CMS has become a powerful tool for hybrid production to utilize heterosis in maize. Therefore, the molecular mechanism of CMS in maize has always been a research hotspot. In this paper, CMS related genes and fertility restorer genes discovered in the three major types of CMS in maize were summarized, and the problems that needed to be solved in CMS-related research and development prospects in the application of CMS in maize were discussed. This review provided theoretical reference for better understanding of the molecular mechanism of CMS in plant and the application of CMS system for hybrid seed production in the utilization of heterosis in maize.

Climate change-induced global average temperature rise poses a severe threat to food production, in which maize, one of the three major global staple crops, is particularly susceptible to high temperatures. High temperatures significantly impact maize at various stages of its growth and development, especially during the reproductive growth stage, which can drastically reduce maize yields. Here we summarize the effects of high temperatures on maize at different growth stages, including germination, seedling, late vegetative growth, flowering, and grain-filling stages. We also review the main molecular mechanisms by which maize responds to heat stress, including heat shock and unfolded protein responses. Furthermore, we summarize the latest advances in heat-tolerant maize breeding in China. A batch of heat-tolerant hybrids and inbred lines have been identified through artificial high-temperature treatments and open field trials under natural high-temperature. In addition, we proposed important future research strategies in developing heat-tolerance maize, including new technological methods such as phenomics, genome-wide association studies, and genomic selection-based breeding, combined with intelligent agricultural management measures. We aim to cultivate maize varieties with high heat tolerance to cope with the high-temperature challenges brought about by climate change, thereby ensuring global food security.