LAUSR

According to the announcement of United Nations (https://www.un.org), the world population hit 8 billion on 15 November 2022, which could reach a whopping 10 billion people by 2050. Agriculture is the very basic foundation of the modern human society and civilization. In a broad sense, agriculture comprises planting, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and forestry. Agricultural species provide food, feed, fiber, fuel, etc., on which we rely to nourish and sustain ourselves and the next-generation. Agricultural species, however, face various stresses during development, including but not limited to bacteria, viruses, drought, temperature, feed, and chemicals. Each of these adverse conditions may compromise physiological and cellular functions, as well as activate the reprogramming of transcription to maintain the homeostasis of an individual. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and regulations underlying these processes could help select breeding populations, genetically modify organisms, facilitate diagnosis, and improve welfare, ultimately benefiting human society and the whole world. Referring to the central dogma of molecular biology (Crick, 1970), phenotype can be determined and regulated at multiple layers including the DNA, RNA, and protein level. In response to environmental cues and changing conditions, the RNA-level transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations come into effect swiftly as pioneers. This Research Topic focuses on the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations in agricultural species responding/adapting to various stresses, aiming to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms and provide insights into their applications in practice. This Research Topic covers a wide spectrum of agricultural species, including livestock (cattle, sheep, pig, and chicken), fish (Atlantic salmon), cereals and legumes (wheat, maize, soybean, and pea), vegetable (eggplant), fruit (pear), and ornamental plants (red plum, lily, and lotus), in response to various stresses and conditions, such as heat, cold, drought, hypoxia, bacteria, chemicals, weaning, and mastitis. Most studies in this Research Topic examined the whole transcriptome to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms following stresses. For example, in the context of global warming, Niu et al. employed transcriptome sequencing to study the mechanism by which high temperature affect grain abortion of maize, by comparing heat-resistant and heat-sensitive variety under a 7-day heat stress treatment after pollination. They unveiled that heat stress mainly resulted in reduced carbohydrate availability for grain development, leading to reduced kernel number. OPEN ACCESS