Hormetic Responses of Plants to Environmental Stress
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant ecophysiology; photosynthesis; biotic stress; abiotic stress; antioxidative mechanisms; photoprotective mechanisms; reactive oxygen species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants respond to biotic and abiotic stress by a plethora of mechanisms. A low-level of stress or a short exposure duration to stress has been frequently referred to stimulate plant performance. As a response to the disruption of homeostasis by an environmental stress factor, plants display an overcompensating reaction, which, at a low-dose stress, stimulates plant’s performance and growth; however, at a higher dose stress, their compensatory response is usually insufficient in maintaining the physiological processes. Dose–response studies are suggesting hormesis as a central dose–response phenomenon for a range of stressors. Hormesis is a common phenomenon in nature being independent of the stressor, the physiological process, or the organism. Hormesis can be observed in appropriately planned studies and is being illustrated by an inverted U-shaped response curve with a low dose or short time exposure stimulation, and a higher-dose stress or longer duration exposure inhibition. However, a U-shaped biphasic response curve can occur also, with a low dose or short time inhibition and a higher-dose or longer time stimulation of the plant’s performance. Hormesis research records indicate that stimulatory response recognition relies highly on the study design, the risk assessment method, the choice of dose range and the number and exposure duration. The hormetic stimulation response is related to the stressor, species, tissue, and endpoint studied, but quantitative features of the hormetic dose–response are similar. However, underlying specific mechanistic strategies are different between plants and animals.
Despite the various studies that have aimed to elucidate the hormetic response mechanisms of plants to environmental stress factors, the different molecular mechanisms are not yet fully understood.
This Special Issue aims to
- Highlight the molecular mechanisms of hormesis in response to biotic and abiotic stresses;
- Contribute to a better understanding of plant responses to stress factors;
- Help in the development of realistic interventions for improved crop yields;
- Help policy maker agencies to reconsider the use of default dose-response models for risk assessment.
Prof. Dr. Michael Moustakas
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- hormesis
- environmental stress
- dose–response
- molecular mechanisms
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