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Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants
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Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants

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: closed (20 April 2025) | Viewed by 11421

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Michael Moustakas

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Guest Editor
Department of Botany, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: plant ecophysiology; photosynthesis; biotic stress; abiotic stress; antioxidative mechanisms; photoprotective mechanisms; reactive oxygen species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Julietta Moustaka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science-Plant, Food and Sustainability, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Interests: plant physiology; biological pesticides; plant-based fertilizers; plant-insect-microbe interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant biostimulants constitute an emerging class of agricultural inputs that help to improve crop yield and quality since their application also protects from biotic and abiotic stresses. Large categories of biostimulants are used as plant growth promoters (PGPs), such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), micro-macroalgae, composted materials, humic substances, protein hydrolysates, chitosan, plant extracts, chemical molecules such as salicylic acid (SA) and melatonin, and nanoparticles. Today, there is a need to improve the current crop productivity to meet the increasing food demands. Among the current methodologies proposed to increase plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, the utilization of plant biostimulants in crop production has recently been proposed. The optimization of their utilization has great potential in an innovative and sustainable agriculture context, providing benefits to plant growth and health through increases in nutrient uptake, photosynthesis and secondary metabolism, conferring plant tolerance to environmental stresses and improving resistance to biotic factors.

This Issue will focus on the molecular mechanisms by which plant biostimulants act on plant growth and development, water relations, ion uptake, photosynthesis, and related physiological processes to changes in metabolism.

Authors are invited and welcome to submit original research papers, reviews, and short communications that will contribute to our understanding on the biology and the use of biostimulants to promote plant growth and enhance crop yields while reducing the use of chemical fertilizers under biotic or abiotic stress conditions but also under non-stress conditions.

Prof. Dr. Michael Moustakas
Dr. Julietta Moustaka
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • biostimulants
  • abiotic stresses
  • biotic stresses
  • plant growth promoter
  • stress acclimation
  • oxidative damage
  • photosynthetic efficiency
  • ROS
  • antioxidant mechanisms
  • redox regulation

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 4836 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Mechanism of Wood Vinegar and Butyrolactone Promoting Rapeseed Growth and Improving Low-Temperature Stress Resistance Based on Transcriptome and Metabolomics
by Kunmiao Zhu, Jun Liu, Ang Lyu, Tao Luo, Xin Chen, Lijun Peng and Liyong Hu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(17), 9757; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179757 - 9 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1677
Abstract
Rapeseed is an important oil crop in the world. Wood vinegar could increase the yield and abiotic resistance of rapeseed. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of wood vinegar or its valid chemical components on rapeseed. In the present study, wood [...] Read more.
Rapeseed is an important oil crop in the world. Wood vinegar could increase the yield and abiotic resistance of rapeseed. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of wood vinegar or its valid chemical components on rapeseed. In the present study, wood vinegar and butyrolactone (γ-Butyrolactone, one of the main components of wood vinegar) were applied to rapeseed at the seedling stage, and the molecular mechanisms of wood vinegar that affect rapeseed were studied by combining transcriptome and metabolomic analyses. The results show that applying wood vinegar and butyrolactone increases the biomass of rapeseed by increasing the leaf area and the number of pods per plant, and enhances the tolerance of rapeseed under low temperature by reducing membrane lipid oxidation and improving the content of chlorophyll, proline, soluble sugar, and antioxidant enzymes. Compared to the control, 681 and 700 differentially expressed genes were in the transcriptional group treated with wood vinegar and butyrolactone, respectively, and 76 and 90 differentially expressed metabolites were in the metabolic group. The combination of transcriptome and metabolomic analyses revealed the key gene-metabolic networks related to various pathways. Our research shows that after wood vinegar and butyrolactone treatment, the amino acid biosynthesis pathway of rapeseed may be involved in mediating the increase in rapeseed biomass, the proline metabolism pathway of wood vinegar treatment may be involved in mediating rapeseed’s resistance to low-temperature stress, and the sphingolipid metabolism pathway of butyrolactone treatment may be involved in mediating rapeseed’s resistance to low-temperature stress. It is suggested that the use of wood vinegar or butyrolactone are new approaches to increasing rapeseed yield and low-temperature resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants)
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21 pages, 6790 KiB  
Article
Hormetic Response of Photosystem II Function Induced by Nontoxic Calcium Hydroxide Nanoparticles
by Panagiota Tryfon, Ilektra Sperdouli, Julietta Moustaka, Ioannis-Dimosthenis S. Adamakis, Kleoniki Giannousi, Catherine Dendrinou-Samara and Michael Moustakas
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(15), 8350; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25158350 - 30 Jul 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1130
Abstract
In recent years, inorganic nanoparticles, including calcium hydroxide nanoparticles [Ca Ca(OH)2 NPs], have attracted significant interest for their ability to impact plant photosynthesis and boost agricultural productivity. In this study, the effects of 15 and 30 mg L−1 oleylamine-coated calcium hydroxide [...] Read more.
In recent years, inorganic nanoparticles, including calcium hydroxide nanoparticles [Ca Ca(OH)2 NPs], have attracted significant interest for their ability to impact plant photosynthesis and boost agricultural productivity. In this study, the effects of 15 and 30 mg L−1 oleylamine-coated calcium hydroxide nanoparticles [Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs] on photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry were investigated on tomato plants at their growth irradiance (GI) (580 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and at high irradiance (HI) (1000 μmol photons m−2 s−1). Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs synthesized via a microwave-assisted method revealed a crystallite size of 25 nm with 34% w/w of oleylamine coater, a hydrodynamic size of 145 nm, and a ζ-potential of 4 mV. Compared with the control plants (sprayed with distilled water), PSII efficiency in tomato plants sprayed with Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs declined as soon as 90 min after the spray, accompanied by a higher excess excitation energy at PSII. Nevertheless, after 72 h, the effective quantum yield of PSII electron transport (ΦPSII) in tomato plants sprayed with Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs enhanced due to both an increase in the fraction of open PSII reaction centers (qp) and to the enhancement in the excitation capture efficiency (Fv’/Fm’) of these centers. However, the decrease at the same time in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) resulted in an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It can be concluded that Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs, by effectively regulating the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) mechanism, enhanced the electron transport rate (ETR) and decreased the excess excitation energy in tomato leaves. The delay in the enhancement of PSII photochemistry by the calcium hydroxide NPs was less at the GI than at the HI. The enhancement of PSII function by calcium hydroxide NPs is suggested to be triggered by the NPQ mechanism that intensifies ROS generation, which is considered to be beneficial. Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles, in less than 72 h, activated a ROS regulatory network of light energy partitioning signaling that enhanced PSII function. Therefore, synthesized Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs could potentially be used as photosynthetic biostimulants to enhance crop yields, pending further testing on other plant species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants)
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18 pages, 2781 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Role of Debaryomyces hansenii as Biofertilizer in Iron-Deficient Environments to Enhance Plant Nutrition and Crop Production Sustainability
by Jesús Sevillano-Caño, María José García, Clara Córdoba-Galván, Carmen Luque-Cruz, Carlos Agustí-Brisach, Carlos Lucena, José Ramos, Rafael Pérez-Vicente and Francisco Javier Romera
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(11), 5729; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25115729 - 24 May 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1664
Abstract
The European “Green Deal” policies are shifting toward more sustainable and environmentally conscious agricultural practices, reducing the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. This implies exploring alternative strategies. One promising alternative to improve plant nutrition and reinforce plant defenses is the use of [...] Read more.
The European “Green Deal” policies are shifting toward more sustainable and environmentally conscious agricultural practices, reducing the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. This implies exploring alternative strategies. One promising alternative to improve plant nutrition and reinforce plant defenses is the use of beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere, such as “Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria and fungi”. Despite the great abundance of iron (Fe) in the Earth’s crust, its poor solubility in calcareous soil makes Fe deficiency a major agricultural issue worldwide. Among plant promoting microorganisms, the yeast Debaryomyces hansenii has been very recently incorporated, for its ability to induce morphological and physiological key responses to Fe deficiency in plants, under hydroponic culture conditions. The present work takes it a step further and explores the potential of D. hansenii to improve plant nutrition and stimulate growth in cucumber plants grown in calcareous soil, where ferric chlorosis is common. Additionally, the study examines D. hansenii’s ability to induce systemic resistance (ISR) through a comparative relative expression study by qRT-PCR of ethylene (ET) biosynthesis (ACO1), or ET signaling (EIN2 and EIN3), and salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis (PAL)-related genes. The results mark a significant milestone since D. hansenii not only enhances nutrient uptake and stimulates plant growth and flower development but could also amplify induced systemic resistance (ISR). Although there is still much work ahead, these findings make D. hansenii a promising candidate to be used for sustainable and environmentally friendly integrated crop management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants)
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15 pages, 4488 KiB  
Article
Radiocarbon Flux Measurements Provide Insight into Why a Pyroligneous Acid Product Stimulates Plant Growth
by Randi Noel, Michael J. Schueller and Richard A. Ferrieri
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4207; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084207 - 10 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3192
Abstract
Agriculture in the 21st century faces many formidable challenges with the growing global population. Increasing demands on the planet’s natural resources already tax existing agricultural practices. Today, many farmers are using biochemical treatments to improve their yields. Commercialized organic biostimulants exist in the [...] Read more.
Agriculture in the 21st century faces many formidable challenges with the growing global population. Increasing demands on the planet’s natural resources already tax existing agricultural practices. Today, many farmers are using biochemical treatments to improve their yields. Commercialized organic biostimulants exist in the form of pyroligneous acid generated by burning agricultural waste products. Recently, we examined the mechanisms through which a commercial pyroligneous acid product, Coriphol™, manufactured by Corigin Solutions, Inc., stimulates plant growth. During the 2023 growing season, outdoor studies were conducted in soybean to examine the effects of different Coriphol™ treatment concentrations on plant growth. Plant height, number of leaves, and leaf size were positively impacted in a dose-dependent manner with 2 gallon/acre soil treatments being optimal. At harvest, this level of treatment boosted crop yield by 40%. To gain an understanding of why Coriphol™ improves plant fitness, follow-up laboratory-based studies were conducted using radiocarbon flux analysis. Here, radioactive 11CO2 was administered to live plants and comparisons were made between untreated soybean plants and plants treated at an equivalent Coriphol™ dose of 2 gallons/acre. Leaf metabolites were analyzed using radio-high-performance liquid chromatography for [11C]-chlorophyll (Chl) a and b components, as well as [11C]-β-carotene (β-Car) where fractional yields were used to calculate metabolic rates of synthesis. Altogether, Coriphol™ treatment boosted rates of Chl a, Chl b, and β-Car biosynthesis 3-fold, 2.6-fold, and 4.7-fold, respectively, and also increased their metabolic turnover 2.2-fold, 2.1-fold, and 3.9-fold, respectively. Also, the Chl a/b ratio increased from 3.1 to 3.4 with treatment. Altogether, these effects contributed to a 13.8% increase in leaf carbon capture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants)
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Review

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16 pages, 3690 KiB  
Review
Agroindustrial By-Products as a Source of Biostimulants Enhancing Responses to Abiotic Stress of Horticultural Crops
by Javier Zuzunaga-Rosas, Monica Boscaiu and Oscar Vicente
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(6), 3525; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063525 - 20 Mar 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2452
Abstract
Together with other abiotic stresses such as drought and high temperatures, salt stress is one of the most deleterious environmental factors affecting plant development and productivity, causing significant crop yield reductions. The progressive secondary salinisation of irrigated farmland is a problem as old [...] Read more.
Together with other abiotic stresses such as drought and high temperatures, salt stress is one of the most deleterious environmental factors affecting plant development and productivity, causing significant crop yield reductions. The progressive secondary salinisation of irrigated farmland is a problem as old as agriculture but is aggravated and accelerated in the current climate change scenario. Plant biostimulants, developed commercially during the last decade, are now recognised as innovative, sustainable agronomic tools for improving crop growth, yield, plant health and tolerance to abiotic stress factors such as water and soil salinity. Biostimulants are a disparate collection of biological extracts, natural and synthetic organic compounds or mixtures of compounds, inorganic molecules and microorganisms, defined by the positive effects of their application to crops. The growing interest in biostimulants is reflected in the increasing number of scientific reports published on this topic in recent years. However, the processes triggered by the biostimulants and, therefore, their mechanisms of action remain elusive and represent an exciting research field. In this review, we will mainly focus on one specific group of biostimulants, protein hydrolysates, generally produced from agricultural wastes and agroindustrial by-products—contributing, therefore, to more sustainable use of resources and circular economy—and primarily on the consequences of their application on the abiotic stress resistance of horticultural crops. We will summarise data in the scientific literature describing the biostimulants’ effects on basic, conserved mechanisms activated in response to elevated salinity and other abiotic stress conditions, such as the control of ion transport and ion homeostasis, the accumulation of osmolytes for osmotic adjustment, or the activation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems to counteract the induced secondary oxidative stress. The collected information confirms the positive effects of biostimulants on crop tolerance to abiotic stress by enhancing morphological, physiological and biochemical responses, but also highlights that more work is needed to further establish the molecular mechanisms underlying biostimulants’ effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants)
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