The Pooideae is the largest subfamily of the grass family Poaceae with approximately 4000 species in 15 tribes and roughly 200 genera. A subgroup of Pooideae (core Pooideae) comprises the majority of species within the subfamily, and contains a number of economically and ecologically important cereal and forage crops, including Brachypodium, wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), oats (Avena sativa) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and many lawn and pasture grasses. All of them use the typical photosynthetic pathway and produce the world’s most food staples. As a whole, grasses are primarily tropical, but Pooideae radiated extensively within the temperate regions. It is hypothesized that the Poodieae niche evolution was facilitated by an early origin of long-term cold exposure around the base of the subfamily and that a set of more ancient pathways enabled the transition of seasonal cold tolerance. Pooideae also has important ecological functions such as protection against soil erosion, absorbing water, purifying the air, and cleaning the habitat. However, it is unclear how the evolution of cold responsiveness has occurred in Pooideae and whether this evolution has conserved roles in the adaptations of Poaceae to other stresses? 

With the rapid increase in climate change globally, grasses are playing an even more important role in climatic change year-round. In recent years, significant research has been carried out on various aspects of Pooideae grasses around the globe. This special issue will serve as an interdisciplinary platform providing integrated insights into molecular mechanisms and functionality of grass quality, productivity, and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Studies on Pooideae grasses with non-coding RNAs, alternatively splicing events, transcriptional regulators, omics studies, organic acids, plant hormones, synthetic plant growth regulators, plant-growth-promoting microbes (bacteria), stress tolerance, and plant evolution are encouraged for submission. We welcome publishing high-quality original research articles, review articles, perspectives, opinions, and methods, including but not limited to the following research topics on Pooideae grasses:

● Omics studies
● Molecular mechanisms
● Physiological responses
● Metabolic regulators
● Hormonal signaling
● Natural variation
● Genetic diversity
● Evolution

Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Liang Wu, Zhejiang University, China

Submission Deadline

The deadline for manuscript submission is 1 October 2024. However, we can accommodate extensions on a case-by-case basis. All papers will be published as open access articles upon acceptance.

Submission Instructions

Please submit the full manuscript to Grass Research via our Online Submission System. All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors for submission of manuscripts is available on the For Authors page.

Additionally, please choose the topic of this Special Issue when submitting and specify it in your cover letter. For further inquiries, please contact Guest Editor:

Liang Wu (liangwu@zju.edu.cn)