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Exploring Abiotic Stress in Plants: Mechanisms, Adaptations, and Mitigation Strategies (2nd Edition)

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: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 2475

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Food Biotechnology, Albert Kázmér Mosonmagyaróvár Faculty, Széchenyi István University, H-9200 Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary
2. Institute of Applied Plant Biology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Boszormenyi Street 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: soil–plant–microbe interactions; rhizosphere biology; molecular mechanisms of nutrient uptake; PGPR; abiotic stress physiology and adaptive responses in plants; biofortification and plant metabolic responses; biogeochemistry of trace elements and environmental contaminants; sustainable soil fertility and biostimulants; food biotechnology; prebiotics and synbiotic; bioactive oligopeptides; plant-based proteases; functional foods
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The proposed Special Issue delves into the multifaceted realm of “Exploring Abiotic Stress in Plants: Mechanisms, Adaptations, and Mitigation Strategies”, seeking to unravel the intricate mechanisms, adaptive responses, and innovative strategies that mitigate the adverse impacts of environmental stressors on plant growth, development, and productivity. Abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, heavy metals, and nutrient deficiency, pose significant challenges to global agriculture, threatening food security and sustainability. This Special Issue aims to elucidate the underlying physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes involved in plant stress responses while also exploring novel approaches for enhancing stress tolerance and resilience in crops.

The scope of this Special Issue encompasses, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • Physiological and molecular responses: Elucidation of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to abiotic stress, including signaling pathways, gene regulation, and metabolic adjustments.
  • Adaptive strategies: Exploration of natural and induced adaptive strategies employed by plants to cope with abiotic stress, such as osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and hormonal regulation.
  • Genetic diversity and breeding: Assessment of genetic diversity, germplasm screening, and breeding approaches for developing stress-tolerant crop varieties with improved resilience to abiotic stress conditions.
  • Omics technologies: Integration of omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, to unravel the complex networks and molecular responses involved in plant abiotic stress tolerance.
  • Biotechnological interventions: Application of biotechnological tools and techniques, such as genetic engineering, genome editing, and synthetic biology, to enhance stress tolerance and productivity in crops.
  • Crop management practices: Evaluation of agronomic practices, crop management strategies, and precision agriculture techniques for optimizing plant performance under abiotic stress environments.
  • Sustainable solutions: The development and implementation of sustainable and eco-friendly approaches for mitigating abiotic stress in plants, including biofortification, soil amendments, and microbial symbiosis.
  • Model systems and translational research: Utilization of model plant systems and translational research approaches to elucidate the fundamental principles of abiotic stress tolerance and facilitate knowledge translation to crop improvement programs.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and communications from researchers and experts working in academia, industry, and governmental institutions, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in abiotic stress in plants.

Dr. Tarek Ali Ahmed Ibrahim Alshaal
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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
  • plant physiology
  • stress tolerance
  • crop resilience
  • molecular mechanisms
  • biotechnological interventions

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 6351 KB  
Article
Transcriptome Analysis and Functional Validation of JAZ Subfamily Genes of Sesuvium portulacastrum Under Salt and Cadmium Stresses
by Jiahui Zheng, Lu Yang, Wei Ma, Hongxin Yin, Wenjing Fu and Xueyan Zhang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(5), 2101; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27052101 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 394
Abstract
Plants are frequently exposed to various abiotic stresses during their growth and development. S. portulacastrum possesses inherent tolerance to salinity and heavy metals, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of S. portulacastrum by [...] Read more.
Plants are frequently exposed to various abiotic stresses during their growth and development. S. portulacastrum possesses inherent tolerance to salinity and heavy metals, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of S. portulacastrum by integrating full-length transcriptome sequencing and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) under salt stress conditions. Transcriptome analysis identified 2839 and 1813 DEGs in leaves and 7328 and 754 DEGs in roots at 7 and 14 ds after NaCl treatment, respectively. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways associated with Photosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, Linoleic acid metabolism, chlorophyll metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. Expression profiling showed that JAZ subfamily genes were significantly upregulated in both leaves and roots under salt and Cd stress. We cloned SpJAZ1, SpJAZ5, and SpJAZ7, and generated their overexpression lines in Arabidopsis. Physiological assays demonstrated that overexpression of SpJAZ1, SpJAZ5, and SpJAZ7 reduced hydrogen peroxide content by 29.07%, 20.62%, and 19.79%, respectively, and lowered the reduction in chlorophyll content (0.12, 0.15, and 0.17 μg/mL vs. 0.22 μg/mL). Meanwhile, proline content was increased in these lines (2.34, 2.08, and 2.05 μg/mL vs. 1.53 μg/mL), alongside enhancements in root length, lateral root number, and water content under salt stress. Importantly, these overexpression lines displayed a similar functional trend under Cd stress. Collectively, our results reveal potential crosstalk between the JA signaling pathway and stress mitigation pathways in S. portulacastrum in response to salt and Cd stresses. Full article
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Review

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48 pages, 1802 KB  
Review
Nitrogen Management in Crop–Soil–Environment Systems: Pathways Toward Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Agriculture
by Szilvia Veres, Nevien Elhawat, Zed Rengel and Tarek Alshaal
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(5), 2477; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27052477 - 8 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 628
Abstract
Abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, heat, cold, and heavy metal toxicity severely constrain plant productivity worldwide. Nitrogen (N), beyond its fundamental nutritional role, has emerged as a central regulator of plant stress responses through its involvement in metabolic reprogramming, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defense, [...] Read more.
Abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, heat, cold, and heavy metal toxicity severely constrain plant productivity worldwide. Nitrogen (N), beyond its fundamental nutritional role, has emerged as a central regulator of plant stress responses through its involvement in metabolic reprogramming, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defense, and hormonal signaling. This review synthesizes current advances in understanding how nitrogen availability and form influence plant tolerance to major abiotic stresses. Particular emphasis is placed on nitrogen-mediated modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging systems, nitrogen–carbon metabolic coordination, phytohormonal crosstalk, osmoprotectant biosynthesis, and regulation of stress-responsive gene expression. Recent molecular insights highlight the role of nitrogen transporters, nitrate signaling pathways, and nitrogen-use efficiency in stress adaptation mechanisms. Furthermore, agronomic and biotechnological strategies aimed at optimizing nitrogen management to enhance stress resilience are discussed, including precision fertilization, integrated nutrient management, and genetic approaches targeting nitrogen-responsive regulatory networks. By integrating physiological, biochemical, and molecular perspectives, this review provides a comprehensive framework for understanding nitrogen-driven mitigation strategies under abiotic stress conditions and outlines future research directions for sustainable crop production in changing environments. Full article
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19 pages, 851 KB  
Review
Desiccation Tolerance in Moss and Liverwort: Insights into the Evolutionary Mechanisms of Terrestrialization
by Totan Kumar Ghosh, Anika Nazran, Imran Khan, Shah Mohammad Naimul Islam, Tofazzal Islam, Yuan Xu and Mohammad Golam Mostofa
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(1), 478; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27010478 - 2 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1188
Abstract
As a monophyletic group, bryophytes—mosses, liverworts, and hornworts—represent some of the earliest land plants, evolving under harsh terrestrial conditions that prompted major morphological, physiological, and molecular changes. Limited water availability, extreme temperatures, and osmotic stresses often caused cellular desiccation in these pioneering plants. [...] Read more.
As a monophyletic group, bryophytes—mosses, liverworts, and hornworts—represent some of the earliest land plants, evolving under harsh terrestrial conditions that prompted major morphological, physiological, and molecular changes. Limited water availability, extreme temperatures, and osmotic stresses often caused cellular desiccation in these pioneering plants. Because bryophytes occupy a key position in land-plant evolution and are closely related to streptophyte algae, their desiccation-tolerance strategies hold significant evolutionary importance. Early adaptations included changes in growth patterns and the formation of specialized vegetative structures. Bryophytes also survive extreme habitats by regulating physiological and biochemical traits such as photosynthetic pigment maintenance, osmotic adjustment, membrane stability, redox balance, and the accumulation of compatible solutes and stress-responsive proteins. Advances in molecular biology and whole-genome sequencing of model mosses and liverworts have further revealed that they possess diverse stress-responsive signaling components, including phytohormones, receptor proteins, protein kinases, and key transcription factors that control stress-related gene expression. However, a comprehensive synthesis of these molecular mechanisms is still lacking. This review aims to provide an updated overview of how mosses and liverworts use plant growth regulators, stress-responsive proteins, compatible solutes, antioxidants, and integrated signaling networks to survive in dry terrestrial environments. Full article
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