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Genetic, Epigenetic and Microbiota Molecular Insights for Crop Resilience to Abiotic 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: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 2230

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Aliki Kapazoglou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO-DIMITRA), Lykovrysi, 14123 Athens, Greece
Interests: molecular biology; epigenetic regulation; abiotic stress; gene regulatory networks; multi-omics; microbiomes; environmental stress resiliency; plant genetic variability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ongoing climate change poses major challenges to plant development leading to severe reduction in crop productivity and yield. Abiotic stresses such as drought, elevated temperatures, increased salinity, extreme weather phenomena, exert major pressures on crop sustainability and threaten global food security.

Developing ways to safeguard crop and food systems relies greatly on illuminating the cellular processes and molecular mechanisms underlying stress perception, stress response and acquisition of resilience in crop species. The response to adverse environmental conditions involves the intricate relations of gene networks and gene expression programs induced by various abiotic stressors. Furthermore, epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, action of small RNAs, play crucial roles in regulating the molecular mechanisms associated with abiotic stress response and establishment of tolerance. Moreover, the microbiome (soil, rhizosphere, phyllosphere, carposphere) has an ever-increasing impact on plant development and environmental stress resilience.

This Special Issue will focus on recent advances in the genetic, epigenetic and microbiota aspects of crop response to abiotic stress as well as their interactions. We welcome contributions in this multidisciplinary field.

Dr. Aliki Kapazoglou
Guest Editor

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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.

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Keywords

  • abiotic stress
  • tolerance
  • crop resilience
  • crop sustainability
  • environmental conditions
  • climate change
  • gene regulation
  • epigenetic mechanisms
  • microbiota communities
  • microbiome

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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21 pages, 3943 KiB  
Article
Mitigating Water Stress in Plants with Beneficial Bacteria: Effects on Growth and Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities
by Daniele Nicotra, Alexandros Mosca, Giulio Dimaria, Maria Elena Massimino, Massimiliano Di Stabile, Emanuele La Bella, Farideh Ghadamgahi, Ivana Puglisi, Ramesh Raju Vetukuri and Vittoria Catara
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(4), 1467; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26041467 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1205
Abstract
Climate change has reshaped global weather patterns and intensified extreme events, with drought and soil salinity negatively impacting the yield and quality of crop production. To mitigate the detrimental effects of drought stress, the introduction of beneficial plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has proven [...] Read more.
Climate change has reshaped global weather patterns and intensified extreme events, with drought and soil salinity negatively impacting the yield and quality of crop production. To mitigate the detrimental effects of drought stress, the introduction of beneficial plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has proven to be a promising approach. In this study, we evaluated a synthetic microbial community (SynCom) comprising bacterial strains belonging to the species Bacillus velezensis, Pseudomonas simiae, P. salmasensis, Glutamicibacter halophytocola, and Leclercia sp., which have been demonstrated to promote tomato growth both individually and collectively. The SynCom and most of its individual bacterial strains were shown to mitigate the detrimental effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced drought stress in vitro in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, either by reducing alterations in xylem elements or promoting the formation of new xylem strands. In a greenhouse trial, soil drenching with the SynCom and two individual strains, B. velezensis PSE31B and P. salmasensis POE54, improved the water stress response in soilless-grown tomato plants under a 40% reduced irrigation regime. Additionally, bacterial treatments positively influenced the diversity of rhizosphere bacterial communities, with distinct changes in bacterial composition, which suggest a treatment-specific interplay between the introduced strains and the native microbiome. These findings highlight the potential of microbial consortia and individual PGPR strains as sustainable tools to improve plant resilience to abiotic stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic, Epigenetic and Microbiota Molecular Insights for Crop Resilience to Abiotic Stress)
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Review

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31 pages, 1057 KiB  
Review
Enhancing Abiotic Stress Resilience in Mediterranean Woody Perennial Fruit Crops: Genetic, Epigenetic, and Microbial Molecular Perspectives in the Face of Climate Change
by Aliki Kapazoglou, Eleni Tani, Vasileios Papasotiropoulos, Sophia Letsiou, Maria Gerakari, Eleni Abraham and Penelope J. Bebeli
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 3160; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26073160 - 29 Mar 2025
Viewed by 480
Abstract
Enhanced abiotic stresses such as increased drought, elevated temperatures, salinity, and extreme weather phenomena severely affect major crops in the Mediterranean area, a ‘hot spot’ of climate change. Plants have evolved mechanisms to face stressful conditions and adapt to increased environmental pressures. Intricate [...] Read more.
Enhanced abiotic stresses such as increased drought, elevated temperatures, salinity, and extreme weather phenomena severely affect major crops in the Mediterranean area, a ‘hot spot’ of climate change. Plants have evolved mechanisms to face stressful conditions and adapt to increased environmental pressures. Intricate molecular processes involving genetic and epigenetic factors and plant–microbe interactions have been implicated in the response and tolerance to abiotic stress. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms whereby plants perceive and respond to stress is crucial for developing strategies to counteract climate challenges. Progress in determining genes, complex gene networks, and biochemical pathways, as well as plant–microbiota crosstalk, involved in abiotic stress tolerance has been achieved through the application of molecular tools in diverse genetic resources. This knowledge could be particularly useful for accelerating plant improvement and generating resilient varieties, especially concerning woody perennial crops, where classical breeding is a lengthy and labor-intensive process. Similarly, understanding the mechanisms of plant–microbe interactions could provide insights into innovative approaches to facing stressful conditions. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview and discuss the recent findings concerning the genetic, epigenetic, and microbial aspects shaping abiotic stress responses, in the context of enhancing resilience in important Mediterranean woody perennial fruit crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic, Epigenetic and Microbiota Molecular Insights for Crop Resilience to Abiotic Stress)
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