Physiological and Anatomical Responses of Crops to Environmental Factors

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant-Crop Biology and Biochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 74

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Ciências da Natureza (ICN), Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva, 700, Centro, Alfenas 37130-001, MG, Brazil
Interests: photosynthesis; leaf anatomy; root anatomy; antioxidant system; growth parameters; plant nutrition; plant metabolism; environmental factors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Crop species are often exposed to unfavorable environmental factors, such as drought, flooding, insufficient or excessive light intensity, UV radiation, nutritional imbalance, and others. Predictive scenarios of climate change warn of further increases in unfavorable environmental events affecting plants, resulting in an urgent need to investigation into how different environmental factors affect the physiology and anatomy of cultivated plants. The objective of this Special Issue is to bring together novel and relevant studies on how unfavorable environmental factors impact crop species. We welcome contributions both in controlled conditions (greenhouse, protected environments, urban agriculture, etc.) and also field experiments. Manuscripts submitted to this Special Issue may focus on any physiological (photosynthesis, water relations, nutrition, metabolism, etc.) or anatomical (leaf anatomy, root anatomy, etc.) traits, and combinations of both physiological and anatomical changes under unfavorable environmental conditions are particularly encouraged. Prospective contributions may focus on any plant species, from large agricultural to minor crops. Cutting-edge contributions with new and exciting information that could help real-world producers or could lay the foundations for future research work will have a decisive advantage.

Dr. Fabrício José Pereira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • photosynthesis
  • plant anatomy
  • plant metabolism
  • crop species

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 1736 KB  
Article
Screening of Sunflower Hybrids Using Physiological and Agronomic Traits
by Antonela Markulj Kulundžić, Dario Iljkić and Ivana Varga
Agronomy 2025, 15(9), 2181; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092181 (registering DOI) - 13 Sep 2025
Abstract
Researching the photosynthetic activity of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is essential for understanding how different genotypes respond to environmental conditions and utilise solar energy for growth and productivity. The objective of this study was to gain insight into and quantify the adaptation [...] Read more.
Researching the photosynthetic activity of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is essential for understanding how different genotypes respond to environmental conditions and utilise solar energy for growth and productivity. The objective of this study was to gain insight into and quantify the adaptation of ten sunflower hybrids during the flowering stage under field conditions. As part of an ongoing sunflower breeding programme, this research aimed to assess genotypic differences in photosynthetic performance and yield-related traits in response to variable environmental conditions. During the flowering stage, chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) parameters revealed significant genotypic differences in energy fluxes, particularly in ABS/RC, DI0/RC, ET0/RC, and RE0/RC. Those results indicate variability in light-harvesting efficiency and electron transport capacity. Although specific photochemical efficiency indicators (e.g., TR0/RC, TR0/ABS, ET0/TR0) showed slight variation, energy dissipation and photosystem I-related parameters differed significantly among hybrids. Leaf temperature and chlorophyll content also varied and showed moderate correlations with fluorescence-based indicators. Yield components (plant height, head diameter, and seed mass per head) displayed significant differences among sunflower hybrids, with notable opposite patterns between plant height and head size. Revealed strong relationships between photosynthetic performance (PITOTAL, RE0/ABS) and yield traits, particularly plant height and number of seeds per head, were confirmed with correlation analysis. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) distinguished the hybrids into distinct groups. The analysis confirmed physiological and morphological variability among hybrids, enabling effective screening of genotypes for breeding purposes. Photosynthesis is a key physiological trait that directly influences biomass accumulation and seed yield, making it a critical parameter in evaluating the performance and adaptability of various sunflower genotypes. Thus, this study demonstrates the integrative value of combining ChlF, thermal, and agronomic traits for identifying high-performing sunflower hybrids under optimal field conditions. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop