Physiological and Biochemical Responses to Abiotic Stress in Cereal and Pseudocereal Crops

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2026 | Viewed by 689

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Władysław Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland
Interests: Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum); chlorophyll a fluorescence; fagopyrins; in vitro plant culture; LED light spectra; mass spectrometry; plant metabolism; yield improvement in buckwheat

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Guest Editor
The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 21, 30-239 Kraków, Poland
Interests: climate change; climate-resilient crops; drought; abiotic stress; proteomics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic stress factors such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and light intensity are among the major limitations to global crop productivity. Cereal crops like wheat, rice, and maize—along with pseudocereals such as buckwheat and quinoa—are essential for food security and human nutrition. Understanding how these species respond at physiological and biochemical levels to environmental stressors is critical for developing resilient, high-yielding cultivars. Over the past few decades, advances in plant physiology, molecular biology, and stress signaling have significantly enriched our knowledge of plant adaptation mechanisms.

This Special Issue aims to bring together recent findings on how cereal and pseudocereal crops respond to abiotic stress at multiple levels—from whole-plant physiology to cellular and molecular biochemistry. We especially welcome contributions that explore novel mechanisms, adaptive traits, and the interplay between stress factors and plant metabolism.

We invite original research articles, reviews, and short communications that address cutting-edge topics such as antioxidant responses, stress signaling pathways, omics-based insights, and breeding strategies for stress tolerance. Submissions focusing on pseudocereals are especially encouraged.

Dr. Marta Hornyák
Dr. Przemysław Kopeć
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • abiotic stress
  • antioxidant properties
  • biochemical responses
  • cereal crops
  • nutritional value
  • pseudocereals
  • physiological responses
  • stress tolerance
  • plant adaptation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

16 pages, 850 KB  
Review
Strategies for Protecting Cereals and Other Utility Plants Against Cold and Freezing Conditions—A Mini-Review
by Julia Stachurska and Anna Maksymowicz
Agriculture 2025, 15(23), 2407; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15232407 - 21 Nov 2025
Viewed by 457
Abstract
Low-temperature (LT) stresses (cold and frost) are major abiotic factors limiting plant growth and productivity. LT induces numerous physiological and biochemical changes in plants, changes hormonal balance and photosynthetic efficiency. Stress induced by LT often leads to yield losses in crops. While plants [...] Read more.
Low-temperature (LT) stresses (cold and frost) are major abiotic factors limiting plant growth and productivity. LT induces numerous physiological and biochemical changes in plants, changes hormonal balance and photosynthetic efficiency. Stress induced by LT often leads to yield losses in crops. While plants like maize and cucumber are highly sensitive to cold, winter cereals such as wheat and rye suffer mainly from severe frosts. Ongoing climate change and temperature fluctuations further increase the risk of LT-induced damage. To counteract the problems connected with LT stress, multiple strategies have been developed to enhance plant tolerance. Agrotechnical practices and biochemical treatments involving the application of phytohormones or osmoprotectants are designed to improve plant tolerance to LT. Beneficial plant–microbe interactions also contribute to alleviating LT stress. In addition, genetic engineering offers powerful tools for creating new cultivars that are more tolerant to LT. The CRISPR/Cas system, in particular, enables precise modifications and represents a promising tool for advancing sustainable agriculture. Integrated methods of protection are crucial for securing food supplies, especially under conditions of a changing climate. This mini-review summarises strategies for protecting plants against LT stress, with special attention paid to crop plants. Full article
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