Plant research has made numerous significant contributions to the field of epigenetics, including the discoveries of paramutation, parental imprinting, nucleolar dominance, and the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. In this review, we summarize the regulatory mechanisms of DNA methylation, histone modification, non-coding RNAs, chromatin remodeling factors, and 3D genome organization, highlighting their functions in plant growth, development, and responses to stress. Meanwhile, we describe the effects of epigenetic variations on key agronomic traits in crops and discuss potential applications of precise epigenomic editing in crop breeding. Finally, we summarize current limitations in epigenetic research, outline future challenges, and propose prospective research directions. With continued scientific advancement and societal progress, epigenetics will contribute more effectively to various aspects of human society - not only in plant breeding but also in therapeutic applications for human diseases.
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Wu et al. (2025) studied this question.
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