Superior Haplotypes for Climate-Resilient Cereals: Genome-Wide Association Approaches to Drought, Nutrient and Seedling Vigour Traits

Cereal crops underpin global food security, yet their productivity is increasingly threatened by climate variability, including recurrent drought, soil nutrient deficiencies, and unpredictable early-season stress that compromises seedling establishment. Breeding climate-resilient cereals requires moving beyond broad quantitative trait loci (QTL) toward the identification of superior haplotypes, the specific allelic combinations within genes and regulatory regions that confer measurable advantages in stress tolerance, nutrient use efficiency, and early vigour.Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), combined with high-density genotyping, pan-genome resources, and precision phenotyping, have opened new avenues for dissecting the genetic architecture of complex agronomic traits in rice, wheat, maize, and other staple cereals. Integrating haplotype-based approaches with GWAS allows researchers to pinpoint favourable natural variation that can be directly deployed in marker-assisted selection and genomic breeding pipelines, accelerating the development of varieties suited to marginal and climate-stressed environments.This Research Topic invites original research, reviews, and methods articles that advance the identification, validation, and application of superior haplotypes for climate resilience in cereal crops. We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to:o GWAS and haplotype analysis for drought tolerance and water-use efficiencyo Genetic dissection of nutrient uptake, use efficiency, and biofortification traitso Genomic and physiological determinants of seedling vigour and early establishmento Pan-genome and multi-omics approaches to haplotype discovery in cerealso Functional validation of candidate genes and haplotypes underlying stress-adaptive traitso Marker-assisted and genomic selection strategies leveraging superior haplotypeso Comparative genomics across cereal species for climate resilience breedingBy bringing together genomics, physiology, and breeding perspectives, this Research Topic aims to build a resource for researchers and breeders working toward more resilient, nutrient-efficient, and climate-adapted cereal crops. Topic editors: Sabarinathan Selvaraj, Goutam Kumar Dash, Subhasis Karmakar, Varunseelan Murugaiyan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84947/superior-haplotypes-for-climate-resilient-cereals-genome-wide-association-approaches-to-drought-nutrient-and-seedling-vigour-traits