Optimization and Innovation of Physiological Indexes in Crop Tolerance Mechanism

Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic stress factors are a major factor in the limitation of crop yields. With the change in climate, stress factors such as temperature extremes, drought, salinity, cold, and flooding, among others, are becoming more frequent and causing severe decreases in crop production worldwide. Due to the globality of these stress factors, predictions of crop yield models show losses in major crop cultures, such as rice, maize, and wheat, which can lead to serious consequences for global food security. With the advancements in technology, various instruments, techniques, and methods have been, and still are, developed for the data collection of various morphological and physiological traits and processes in the agricultural sector. This sector is going through a digital revolution, as computers are now used basically in all agriculture-related processes, and data collection is not only reserved for research. With the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT), devices can also communicate with decision support software, which aids in field management.

With radical increases in the data points collected and the increasing number of devices and physiological parameters measured, it is important to search the data for predictive variables and reduce the data to form indexes that are sensitive to the physiological process that is of interest. In our view, some of the most important indexes are based on chlorophyll a fluorescence measurement, the ratio of variable and maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm), and the performance index (PI_ABS), which are reduced under different kinds of abiotic stresses. Although they are very useful, they are not very specific to a certain kind of stress. Indexes such as Na⁺/K⁺ ratios and stomatal density have showed promising results as screening indexes for salt stress; Fv/Fm combined with stomatal density and residual transpiration have showed interesting results under drought stress and have the potential to be used by plant breeders; multidimensional evaluation has also been used to source the key contributing heat tolerance indexes in wheat. Genetic parameters such as abscisic acid, aquaporins, dehydrins, various transcription factors, heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes, small RNA molecules, and many others introduce a whole new field of indexes to be utilized and combined with other physiological parameters.

This Special Issue will focus on the “Optimization and innovation of physiological indexes in crop tolerance”. In this Special Issue, original research articles, review articles, communications, letters, and opinions are welcome, providing insights into all related topics of interest that include the use, optimization, and formulation of new innovative indexes for sensing the effects of stressful factors and assessing the severity of single or multiple types of stresses to which crops are exposed. New indexes and optimizations of already existing indexes could spark new research interests, aid in breeding programs, and hence reduce the impact of climate change.

Dr. Mario Franić
Dr. Igor Pasković
Guest Editors

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• abiotic stress
• crop resilience
• physiological traits
• stress adaptation
• agricultural innovation
• tolerance mechanisms
• yield stability
• physiological index
• performance index