Calcium signaling in crops

Calcium (Ca²⁺) signaling is integral to nearly all aspects of plant biology, including development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. It operates through two main layers: the generation of Ca²⁺ signals and their decoding by Ca²⁺-binding proteins, which act early in diverse signaling pathways. The system exhibits remarkable robustness and versatility, largely due to its network-like organization. While fundamental principles of Ca²⁺ signaling were initially established in noncrop model organisms, recent research has increasingly expanded toward major crop species and has demonstrated that natural and synthetically created variation in Ca²⁺ signaling components can shape agronomically important traits. In this review, we first provide a concise overview of the fundamental principles of plant Ca²⁺ signaling and then synthesize the current status of this research field in major crop plants. We discuss why exploiting existing natural and engineering synthetic genetic diversity in Ca²⁺ signaling components offers promising strategies to enhance crop stress resilience and yield stability. Subsequently, we delineate how - aided by artificial intelligence - superior alleles can be identified and/or created and incorporated into elite crop genomes. Finally, we discuss current challenges and emerging perspectives in translating Ca²⁺ signaling research into practical applications for crop improvement.