Gener- alization beyond the tested conditions

The gap

Evidence profile

Stated in the future work and inline gaps and cells research gap sections of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 3 journals.

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• Towards climate-smart crops: advances in plant stress biology research (2026) · Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology · doi

  This special issue, containing the above-mentioned con- tributions, provides recent updates on plant responses to abiotic stresses, biotic stresses, and their combined inter- actions under natural conditions. It covers physiological, biochemical, and molecular aspects studied across multiple crops, including millets, chickpea, legumes, and several other plant species. The articles also highlight the use of various tools, including molecular breeding approaches and artificial intelligence-based methods, thereby offering both mechanistic insights and application-oriented perspectives. In future, research in this area may move further toward the application of microbial consortia for mitigating both biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at field level and for analysis of large datasets such as omics data and pre- dictive models. In addition, CRISPR-based genome edit- ing approaches, as indicated in the articles included in this issue, are expected to play an important role in advancing research and crop improvement in plant stress biology. Author contributions Not applicable. Funding Not applicable. Data availability Not applicable.

  generalstated in future workevidence 5/5
  Keywords: plant stresses applicable issue abiotic biotic molecular including articles tools approaches artificial intelligence based application
• Harnessing genomics and transcriptomics to explore the genetic and molecular basis of abiotic stress tolerance in minor millets – a comprehensive review (2026) · Functional & Integrative Genomics · doi

  Abiotic stress remains a critical factor contributing to up to a 3/4th reduction in global crop yields, posing a signifi- cant challenge to food security. Millets, often regarded as a “poor man’s grain,” offer a superior nutritional profile and a Page 19 of 24 117 promising avenue due to their exceptional adaptability to mar- ginal environments, hence regarded as a climate-resilient crop. With the accelerating pace of climate change and an expand- ing global population, the development of climate-resilient crops is imperative. Recent advances in omics technologies have significantly enhanced our understanding of plant stress responses. This review on genomics and transcriptomics stud- ies in the five minor millets revealed a diverse set of stress- responsive genes, DEGs, and TFs modulated by abiotic stress. The absence of functional validation for these genes pre- vents their use as potential markers in crop improvement and genetic engineering to enhance stress resilience. While fox- tail millet has been extensively studied, other minor millets remain largely underexplored, with kodo and barnyard nota- bly lacking a reference genome due to their ploidy complexity (Fig. 7). Moreover, research beyond genomics and transcrip- tomics, particularly in metabolomics, proteomics, epigenom- ics, single-cell omics, phenomics, and ionomics, is still in its infancy for these crops, limiting a systems-level understand- ing of their abiotic stress adaptation mechanisms. Bridging Fig. 7 Representation of (a) genomics and (b) transcriptomics studies prevailing for abiotic stress response in minor millets (created using Microsoft Excel) 1 3Functional & Integrative Genomics (2026) 26:117  117 Page 20 of 24 these knowledge gaps requires an integrative multi-omics approach to unravel the complex molecular networks govern- ing stress resilience in minor millets. Despite the availability of millet databases with omics resources, a unified platform focused on abiotic stress remains absent. Establishing a stress- centric multi-omics database integrated with cross-omics tools would enable the discovery and validation of stress-respon- sive genes, support translational research, and accelerate breeding for climate-resilient millets. Future research efforts should focus on facilitating precise trait improvement through marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and genomic interventions, ultimately contributing to the development of high-yielding, stress-tolerant cultivars. A comprehensive exploration of stress-responsive pathways in minor millets will be instrumental in strengthening their role in sustainable agriculture and enhancing global food security amidst evolv- ing climate challenges.

  generalstated in future workevidence 5/5
  Keywords: stress millets omics abiotic climate minor genomics global crop resilient genes remains contributing food security
• A quantum annealing approach to high-dimensional feature selection: QUBO formulation for stress tolerance modeling in genomic systems (2026) · Evolutionary Intelligence · doi

  Gener- alization beyond the tested conditions should therefore be treated as an open question rather than an established result, pending broader cross-species and cross-stress validation. The proposed framework has not yet been evaluated on additional crop species, other abiotic or biotic stress types, or multi-omics inputs (e.

  generalstated in inline gapsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: cross species stress gener alization beyond tested conditions treated open question rather established result pending
• Harnessing genomics and transcriptomics to explore the genetic and molecular basis of abiotic stress tolerance in minor millets – a comprehensive review (2026) · Functional & Integrative Genomics · doi

  The absence of a Reference genome for kodo millet hampers the comprehensive identification of genes associated with abiotic stress responses. - A complete draft genome for barnyard millet remains unavailable, with current data limited to partial genomic resources from barnyard grass. - The molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress responses in kodo millet and barnyard millet are not well understood.

  generalstated in cells research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: absence reference genome kodo millet hampers comprehensive identification

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