Translational research for climate-ready agriculture

Abstract

The predicted rise in global mean temperatures, erratic precipitation patterns, and evolving pest and disease pressures present serious challenges for sustainable crop production. Developing “climate-ready” agriculture requires a translational research approach that bridges fundamental discoveries at the molecular and physiological levels with field-based strategies and applications. This special issue, Translational Research for Climate-Ready Agriculture, brings together 21 articles that collectively address the development of crops capable of withstanding heat waves, drought, salinity, cold stress, and emerging biotic threats. The collection spans diverse themes, including high-throughput phenotyping and advanced genomic tools such as trait mapping, single-cell transcriptomics, and genome editing. Research contributions highlight strategies for improving stress resilience in major crops such as wheat, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane, as well as in alternative and underutilized species. Collectively, these studies illustrate how the integration of genomics, phenomics, and breeding pipelines can deliver breeder-ready molecular tools and resilient germplasm. By promoting multidisciplinary collaboration and linking laboratory discoveries with on-farm innovations, this issue provides a roadmap for developing crops that ensure food and nutritional security under rapidly changing climatic conditions.