From Genes to Gut: Leveraging Plant Omics and Molecular Breeding for Sustainable Nutritional Security

The global population and climate change demand sustainable, nutritionally-rich food systems. This research topic focuses on functional foods and nutraceuticals from plants, particularly underutilized species and regional flora like those from the North-Western Himalayas. Building on the success of "Food of the Future: Underutilized Foods", this topic delves into the molecular mechanisms that give these plants their value. By leveraging molecular biology and omics technologies, we can precisely enhance crop traits like yield, disease resistance, and nutritional content. This data-driven approach offers a powerful solution to address both food security and the rising burden of diet-related diseases. The goal is to bridge foundational plant science with tangible human health benefits.The primary goal is to use advanced omics technologies—genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics—to identify, characterize, and enhance the nutritional and medicinal properties of plants. We aim to understand the genetic pathways influencing beneficial secondary metabolites. This knowledge will be applied through modern molecular breeding to develop biofortified crops that are resilient to environmental stresses and rich in essential nutrients.Ultimately, this will contribute to a more sustainable and nutritionally secure global food supply. The topic also seeks to foster an interdisciplinary platform that connects plant science to human well-being, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for Zero Hunger and Good Health. This Research Topic invites manuscripts that employ molecular techniques to study and improve plants with significant nutritional or medicinal value. The scope includes genomics-assisted breeding for enhanced nutritional profiles in pseudocereals, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to identify key pathways for bioactive compounds, and investigations into their bioavailability and physiological effects in humans. We welcome submissions on the development of new molecular or computational methods for nutritional profiling. The topic will emphasize research that clearly links plant-level improvements to human health and sustainability, encompassing studies on biofortification and the discovery of novel nutraceuticals, spanning from the gene to the human body. We are interested in accepting submissions of the following manuscript types: Original Research, Systematic Reviews, and Methods articles. Topic editors: Nikhil Malhotra, Marcello Iriti, Asif Bashir Shikari Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78178/from-genes-to-gut-leveraging-plant-omics-and-molecular-breeding-for-sustainable-nutritional-security