Advances in Research on the Mechanism of Heterosis in Plants

Heterosis is a common biological phenomenon in nature. It substantially contributes to the biomass yield and grain yield of plants. Moreover, this phenomenon results in high economic returns in agricultural production. However, the utilization of heterosis far exceeds the level of theoretical research on this phenomenon. In this review, the recent progress in research on heterosis in plants was reviewed from the aspects of classical genetics, parental genetic distance, quantitative trait loci, transcriptomes, proteomes, epigenetics (DNA methylation, histone modification, and small RNA), and hormone regulation. A regulatory network of various heterosis-related genes under the action of different regulatory factors was summarized. This review lays a foundation for the in-depth study of the molecular and physiological aspects of this phenomenon to promote its effects on increasing the yield of agricultural production.

Automated summary

Heterosis, a common biological phenomenon in nature, significantly contributes to plant biomass and grain yield, with high economic returns in agricultural production. Recent research progress has focused on various aspects including classical genetics, genetic distance, QTLs, transcriptomes, proteomes, epigenetics, and hormone regulation, laying the foundation for in-depth study of its molecular and physiological aspects for increasing agricultural production yield.