Modern agricultural systems face the dual pressure of ensuring global nutritional security while mitigating the devastating impacts of climate-driven abiotic and biotic stresses. Traditional breeding approaches, which often address isolated phenotypic traits, frequently overlook the complex, intertwined nature of plant genetic architecture. This review synthesizes the critical role of pleiotropic master regulators genes that exert simultaneous control over multiple physiological and metabolic pathways as foundational tools for crop improvement. By examining high-value loci such as IPA1 in rice, tb1 in maize, and NAM-B1 in wheat, we demonstrate that precise manipulation of these hubs allows for the decoupling of negative physiological trade-offs, enabling the concurrent enhancement of grain yield, nutrient density, and stress resilience.
Harnessing Pleiotropic Master Regulators for Multi-Stress Tolerance and Biofortification in Crop Plants: A Comprehensive Review
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References
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