Genetic and Epigenetic Control of Plant Genes Responding to Abiotic Stress
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 45
Special Issue Editor
Interests: molecular responses of plants to abiotic stress conditions; epigenetic regulation; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants in natural and agricultural ecosystems constantly face abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutrient deprivation, and radiation. These stresses trigger complex reprogramming of gene expression, often mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. DNA methylation, in particular, is a dynamic regulatory mark that modulates gene activity in response to environmental cues, supporting plant adaptation and stress resilience.
This Special Issue provides an overview of DNA methylation in plant responses to abiotic stress. It aims to integrate knowledge of molecular mechanisms, interplay with other chromatin modifications, and implications for plant development, stress memory, and crop improvement. The Special Issue focuses on how methylation patterns are established, maintained, and modified under environmental challenges.
Recent advances highlight the flexibility and tissue-specificity of methylation changes, including RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) and active demethylation pathways. Research also explores stress-induced molecular memory, transgenerational inheritance of epigenetic marks, and the potential of epigenetic breeding and biotechnology to enhance crop stress tolerance.
We invite original research articles and reviews on DNA methylation in the context of plant abiotic stress. Submissions may include mechanistic studies, genome-wide analyses, functional studies of key methylation-related genes, integration with other epigenetic modifications, or translational research focusing on crop improvement and stress resilience.
Dr. Pasqualina Woodrow
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- DNA methylation
- abiotic stress
- epigenetic regulation
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