Research progress on cold tolerance key genes and mechanisms in four major northern China crops

Global climate change poses significant challenges to agricultural production and food security, particularly in high-latitude regions such as northern China, where low temperatures, drought, and extreme weather severely affect crop growth and development. Addressing these challenges requires a thorough understanding of crop cold tolerance, which is crucial for ensuring food security in northern China. Cold stress, including chilling and freezing injuries, could induce a range of physiological and biochemical damages in plants. Plants, however, can perceive low-temperature signals and enhance their cold tolerance through mechanisms such as the CBF/DREB transcriptional regulatory pathway. In this review, we summarize the low-temperature response and regulatory mechanisms of major crops in northern China, including wheat, maize, rice, and potato, with a focus on the unique genes and adaptive strategies these crops have evolved to improve cold tolerance. These insights not only advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance in key northern crops but also provide a theoretical basis for breeding cold-tolerant varieties and developing climate-resilient agriculture in northern China.