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Turkish Journal of Botany

Special Issue Announcement

APPLICATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS IN PLANTS: NEW TRENDS TOWARDS PLANT SYSTEMATICS, ADAPTABILITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Guest Editors

  • Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cengiz Baloğlu, Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Türkiye (Email: )
  • Prof. Dr. Imran Amin, Agricultural Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan (Email: )
  • Asst. Prof. Dr. Emre Aksoy, Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye (Email: )

Plants play a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth by producing oxygen and energy that is utilized by themselves, as well as by almost all other organisms. Since Neolithic Revolution, humans have been cultivating plants for sustenance, and the practice of agriculture played a pivotal role in the emergence of civilizations. Over the centuries, humans have selectively cultivated plants to enhance desirable traits and eliminate unfavorable phenotypic features, thereby contributing to the sustainability of civilizations. Our understanding of plants has evolved, leading a focus on disciplines such as systematics, genetics, and biotechnology. Biotechnology has become deeply embedded in human civilization, experiencing significant growth and giving rise to new disciplines such as omics technologies and genome editing. These advancements improve both fundamental and practical studies in plant biology and establish connections with other scientific domains, including bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and the emerging fields of digital and intelligent science.

In recent decades, there has been a rapid accumulation of biological data, driven primarily by advancements in sophisticated techniques, particularly the invention of next-generation sequencing in molecular biology. In response to this rapid growth, the field of bioinformatics has emerged to organize this vast and complex body of knowledge. Bioinformatics is an integrative discipline that combines biology, mathematics, and computer science to organize, store, and analyze omics data. It plays a crucial role in life sciences projects, including plant biology and agricultural research. The disclosure of multiomics data related to plants has provided a new perspective for scientists and breeders, offering insights into enhancing traits such as abiotic and biotic stress resistance, productivity, yield, ripening speed, nutritional content, and overall plant health. Bioinformatics has enabled us to reveal molecular networks underlying stress tolerance, growth, and development. It has empowered researchers to unravel the complexities of plant biology, opening avenues for the improvement of plant cultivars that are not only more resilient but also more productive, nutritious, and efficient in their development.

The special issue has selected a theme titled "Applications of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics in Plants: New Trends towards Plant Systematics, Adaptability, and Sustainability", emphasizing the importance of novel technologies in plant science. As the guest editors of this special issue, we cordially invite contributions that explore the applications of biotechnology and bioinformatics in plants, focusing on new trends towards plant systematics, adaptability, and sustainability. We encourage researchers to contribute their insights, innovative methodologies, and breakthroughs through research, review and opinion, and method articles focusing on the "applications of biotechnology and bioinformatics in plants" for publication in the Turkish Journal of Botany. We invite you to explore the intricate relationship between biotechnology, bioinformatics, and plants, unraveling the mysteries that hold the key to the future of plant biology and sustainability.

The topics covered in the issue include:

  • New bioinformatics tools for analyzing omics data in plant breeding and systematics supported with wet-lab experiments
  • Next-generation sequencing in plant biotechnology, systematics, genetic resources
  • Omics in plants
  • Regulation of gene expression in plants
  • Genome editing in plants
  • Molecular mechanisms underlying stress response and regulation
  • ncRNA functions in growth, development, ripening, etc.
  • Genomic selections by using molecular markers
  • QTL identification and characterization for sustainability
  • Genome-wide association studies in plants
  • Systems biology for plant biology
  • Gene networks in plants
  • Plant molecular evolution and speciation
  • Molecular plant adaptation

For review and opinion papers, it is recommended to discuss a tentative outline with the editors of the special issue. Articles will be published online upon acceptance. The deadline for contributions is August 2024, while the target date for the publication is December 2024.