Minor crop science and production in China: A decade of progress and future prospects

Minor crops are characterized by their relatively limited cultivation area, strong regional specificity, and possess unique nutritional value and high stress resilience, thereby diversifying crop production and contributing to global food security under climate change. In recent years, due to adjustments in human's dietary structures and growing health needs, minor crops have attracted increasing attention. Over the past decade, advances in genomics have driven a shift from conventional breeding to molecular breeding for minor crops, substantially elevating the level of knowledge regarding minor crops. This review provides an overview of minor crops production and consumption in China, summarizes advances in genomics research of the four crop groups (minor cereals, pseudocereals, food legumes, root crops), ranging from reference genome assembly to pan-genome map construction, and overviews major functional genes and molecular markers for key agronomical, yield-related, quality, biotic/abiotic stress resistance traits. We outline the prospective applications of multiple advanced technologies throughout the research process of minor crops, along with their critical role and future challenges in changing climate. We propose that integrating these technologies with agricultural practices will drive a new revolution in minor crops for global food security in a sustainable manner.