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Advances in Plant Physiology and Their Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2025) | Viewed by 907

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Crop Production, University of Rzeszow, Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Interests: the course of physiological processes in plants caused by biotic and abiotic factors; assessment and improvement of plant production; plant biochemistry; assessment of plant yield quality depending on environmental and agrotechnical factors
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Guest Editor
Department of Crop Production, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Zelwerowicz 4 St., 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Interests: improving agricultural crop production technology; impact of crop technology on plant quality and food safety; exogenous use of phytoprotectants; biochemical and physiological responses of plants to abiotic stresses in crop production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, Rzeszow University, St. Cwiklinskiej 1a, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Interests: antioxidants; oxidative stress; polyphenols; extraction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the problem of physiological processes in plants related to the action of stress factors (biotic and abiotic) has become particularly important. Abiotic stresses caused by climate change and global warming have a negative impact on plant growth and development. There are many functional disorders at the level of cell membranes and in the hormonal balance of the cell. Visual symptoms of nutrient deficiency, determination of plant growth, assessment of photosynthesis and analysis of tissue nutritional status are highly justified in diagnosing nutrient disorders and optimizing crop management strategies. Therefore, research aimed at showing new trends from the point of view of plant physiology, metabolism and genetic regulation is very important.

This Special Issue aims to collect and present research results in the field of advances in plant physiology, especially in the response of plants to environmental stresses. We welcome submissions containing cutting-edge knowledge on this topic.

Dr. Renata Tobiasz-Salach
Dr. Dagmara Migut
Dr. Tomasz Piechowiak
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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

  • plants
  • abiotic stresses
  • chlorophyll fluorescence
  • gas exchange of plants

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3807 KB  
Article
The Irrigation Water pH Has a Dominant Impact on the Growth and Stress Markers of Bigleaf Hydrangea
by Monika Marković, Vlatko Galić, Veronika Težak, Marija Ravlić, Željko Barač, Irena Jug and Lucija Galić
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(16), 8773; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168773 - 8 Aug 2025
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Abstract
Hydrangeas are economically important ornamental plants whose growth and flower characteristics depend on irrigation water quality (IWC), i.e., hydrogenionic potential (pH) and electrical conductivity (EC). Unfavorable IWC causes plant stress, reduced growth and tissue damage, leading to physiological responses such as proline accumulation [...] Read more.
Hydrangeas are economically important ornamental plants whose growth and flower characteristics depend on irrigation water quality (IWC), i.e., hydrogenionic potential (pH) and electrical conductivity (EC). Unfavorable IWC causes plant stress, reduced growth and tissue damage, leading to physiological responses such as proline accumulation (for stress protection) and increased malondialdehyde (MDA, an indicator of damage). A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted as a three-factor study in three replicates. The study examined the impact of different pH levels (4, 5, and 6, compared to a control treatment of pH 7), and EC levels (2, 3, and 4 dS m−1, compared to a control treatment of 1 dS m−1) on biomass, i.e., plant height (cm), stem number (n), flower number (n), leaf number (n) and weight (g), flower weight (g) and diameter (cm), growth index (GI) and the proline and MDA concentrations in two hydrangea varieties (Early Blue and Bianco). Study results showed a significant impact of (p = 0.0001) pH on all tested morphological properties, except flower diameter. Notably, pH 6 maximized biomass accumulation, i.e., plant height (56.6 cm), leaf number (n = 97) and weight, flower weight (156.8 g), and GI (36 cm), while pH 4 promoted the highest number of flowers (n = 10) and stems (n = 10), which are both crucial for aesthetic and market value. EC significantly (p = 0.001) affected plant height (EC 2 = 56.3 cm), flower (EC 2 = 181.9 g) and leaf weight (EC 3 = 148.2 g), and growth index (EC 2 = 27.2 cm). The lowest stress indicators (proline and MDA concentrations) were recorded at pH 6 (MDA = 0.215 µmol g−1 FW, proline = 659.5 µmol g−1 FW) and EC 2 (MDA = 0.551 µmol g−1 FW, proline = 4068.2 µmol g−1 FW). The highest MDA and proline concentrations were observed under extreme conditions of pH 4 (MDA = 1.257 µmol g−1 FW, proline = 12,811.7 µmol g−1 FW) and EC 4 (MDA = 0.692 µmol g−1 FW, proline = 4880.8 µmol g−1 FW). No significant effect of variety on proline and MDA concentrations was observed, while the highest GI was recorded for the Early Blue variety (24.3 cm). This research identifies pH 6 and EC 2 as key conditions for optimizing hydrangea biomass and reducing stress, offering practical guidelines for growers. The findings provide a foundation for developing precise irrigation water quality strategies in the commercial production of ornamental plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Physiology and Their Applications)
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