Special Issue on Synthetic Biology for Crop Improvement

Synthetic biology is a multidisciplinary field that combines engineering principles with molecular biology and informatics to design and develop new plant devices and biological systems. It also aims to design, modify, and even re-synthesize living organisms in a target-oriented manner to create artificial organisms or products with tailored or unconventional functionalities.

The potential of synthetic biology in crop genetic improvement is becoming increasingly evident, enabling the development of new crop varieties, the creation of crops with special traits, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural development. In particular, synthetic biology has demonstrated its capabilities in modifying plant photosynthesis, together with carbon and nitrogen use efficiency to increase crop yields. It has also enabled leveraging microorganisms to reduce fertilizer usage and reconstructing key metabolic pathways for improved crop varieties and biological biofortification.

This special issue on synthetic biology for crop improvement aims to bring together basic and applied research in plant synthetic biology, covering the state-of-the-art in synthetic biology, synthetic plasmids for producing high-value biologically active compounds, genetic engineering, metabolite engineering, and agro-bioengineering of plant systems. Additionally, this issue will explore innovations in plant synthetic biology to promote sustainable agriculture.

We welcome the submissions from all disciplines related to these fields, including reviews, perspectives and research articles. Please note that contributions to the first two categories (reviews and perspectives) are by invitation only.

Topics Covered:

Topics include, but are not limited to:

1. Synthetic biology tools and techniques in crop gene editing:

• Using CRISPR/Cas systems, TALENs, and ZFNs for precise gene editing in crops
• Applications of gene editing technology in improving crop disease resistance, stress tolerance, and yield

2. Synthetic metabolic pathways and nutritional optimization:

• Designing and optimizing photosynthesis and metabolic pathways in crops through synthetic biology
• Modifying secondary metabolic pathways to enhance the nutritional value and resistance of crops
• Mining and characterization of biological elements related to important traits using multi-omics tools

3. Engineered microbes and crop symbiosis:

• Using synthetic biology to optimize rhizosphere microbial communities to promote crop growth
• Applications of engineered symbiotic microbes in crop nutrient absorption and health

4. Applications of synthetic biology in crop protection:

• Developing new biological pesticides and herbicides using synthetic biology methods
• Innovations in plant vaccines and disease resistance genes through synthetic biology

5. Future crop design and precision agriculture:

• Applying synthetic biology to design crops tolerant to extreme environments and efficient in resource utilization
• Using synthetic biological sensors and markers in precision agriculture
• Integrating digital agriculture with synthetic biology for crop growth regulation

Important Deadlines:

• Submission deadline (for full papers):December 31, 2024
• Peer review & Revision: July 2024 to April 2025
• Publication date: June 2025 (Volume 13, Issue 3)
• Immediate online after acceptance of each manuscript in ScienceDirect.

Submission Instructions:

Please read the Guide for Authors before submitting. All articles should be submitted online; please note the special-issue submission by selecting Article Type “Synthetic Biology for Crop Improvement”.

Manuscripts will be reviewed and published on a first-come-first-served basis. Once all accepted manuscripts are published, they will be put together in this special issue.

Guest Editors: