Biomolecular condensates: Emerging regulatory mechanisms for crop improvement

Global climate change seriously threatens food security. To address this challenge, breeders have achieved remarkable results using multiple breeding strategies and technologies. In recent years, the application of biomolecular condensates to crop improvement has remained in its early stages. Nevertheless, growing evidence indicates their crucial roles in regulating crop development and stress adaptation. This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding biomolecular condensate functions across key plant developmental phases and their regulatory roles in abiotic and biotic stress responses. The regulatory mechanisms associated with these condensates primarily encompass transcriptional regulation, RNA processing and metabolism, translational control, and membrane organelle biogenesis, collectively establishing a solid theoretical foundation for agricultural molecular breeding. In the final section, we discuss the potential applications and challenges of biomolecular condensates in crop improvement.