The Molecular and Physiological Resistance Mechanisms of Maize in Response to Stress

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 January 2026 | Viewed by 36

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: maize; stress; drought; mechanisms; climate change

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: gene regulation; epigenetics; maize kernel development; maize seed development; protein quality; molecular genetics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Maize (Zea mays L.), which is a cornerstone of global agriculture, faces numerous abiotic (drought, heat, salinity, etc.) and biotic (pathogens, pests, etc.) stresses that severely impact its growth, development, and yield. Over the years, significant progress has been made in understanding maize's resistance mechanisms at the molecular and physiological levels, but there is still much to explore as environmental challenges become more complex.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase the latest research on the molecular and physiological resistance mechanisms of maize under various stresses. It intends to provide a platform for researchers to share innovative findings, facilitating the exchange of ideas and promoting the development of stress-resistant maize varieties. This Special Issue covers a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, stress-responsive genes and proteins, signal transduction pathways, physiological adaptations, and the interaction between maize and stress factors.

Cutting-edge research in this field may involve the use of omics technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to identify key stress-related molecules, as well as to explore epigenetic regulation in stress responses and to study how maize coordinates molecular and physiological processes to cope with multiple stresses simultaneously.

We solicit original research articles and review papers that contribute to the understanding of maize stress resistance. Papers focusing on the identification of stress-resistant genes, the characterization of physiological traits related to stress tolerance, the analysis of stress signal transduction, and the development of new strategies for enhancing maize stress resistance are particularly welcome. We hope this Special Issue will stimulate further research and innovation in improving maize's adaptability to adverse environments.

Dr. Zhirui Yang
Dr. Zeyang Ma
Guest Editors

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

  • maize
  • stress
  • resistance mechanism
  • climate change
  • epigenetic regulation
  • omics technologies
  • stress-resistant maize breeding

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This special issue is now open for submission.
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