Applications and research advances of the ancient plant DNA technology.

Ancient DNA technology directly retrieves genetic information from preserved biological materials, thereby offering significant advantages for elucidating species origins and evolution. In recent years, ancient DNA studies have yielded significant advances in our understanding of human evolution and the origins and dispersal of animals. With the rapid development of ancient DNA extraction, library construction, and sequencing techniques, ancient DNA technology is increasingly contributing to plant research and is gradually developing into a standardized and systematic research area. These studies have not only deepened our understanding of the origins, dispersal routes, and evolutionary history of crop domestication, but have also provided novel perspectives for interpreting the interactive evolution among humans, plants, and the environment. In this review, we introduce the workflow of ancient plant DNA research and review the progress of ancient plant DNA technology in the fields of crop domestication, plant diseases, environmental reconstruction, and utilization of plant resources to provide a reference for the in-depth development of this field.