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Physiological and Genetic Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress
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Physiological and Genetic Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3375

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ludovic Joseph Anatole Capo-Chichi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, 2-06 Agriculture-Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
Interests: plant breeding; abiotic stress; water use efficiency; bio stimulants; plant breeding and pre-breeding; freezing tolerance; crop physiology; sensor-based plant phenotyping; plant adaptability
Dr. Jan Slaski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
InnoTech Alberta, Hwy 16A & 75 Street, P.O Box 4000, Vegreville, AB T9C 1T4, Canada
Interests: agronomy; diversification; physiology of abiotic stresses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The physiological challenges posed by seasonal variations in extreme temperatures, excessive or inadequate water and nutrient limitations, and low soil pH are the major stresses affecting crop establishment, yield and grain quality for most major crops. These stresses are often interrelated or in conjunction with each other. Although considerable physiological work has shown that the traits conferring tolerance to these stressors are not lasting, they are frequently treated as such.

Physiological responses of plants to abiotic stresses have been well-established, providing promising insights into the methods for the induction of tolerance, leading to the development of tolerant crops. 

This Special Issue will focus on the physiological and genetic mechanisms of plant responses to extreme temperatures, drought, salinity, water use efficiency, low soil pH, heavy metal stress and nutrient limitations of crop varieties. This Special Issue will highlight the role of high-throughput phenotyping and genomics in the adaption of crops to abiotic stress and its possible applications in breeding climate-resilient crop varieties. We welcome the submission of all types of articles, such as original research and review papers.

Dr. Ludovic Joseph Anatole Capo-Chichi
Dr. Jan Slaski
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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

  • abiotic stresses
  • genomics
  • genetic variation
  • high-throughput phenotyping
  • adaptation
  • climate resiliency

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 11888 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Analysis of the 12-Oxo-Phytodienoic Acid Reductase Gene Family in Peanut and Functional Characterization of AhOPR6 in Salt Stress
by Yifei Mou, Quanxi Sun, Haocui Miao, Juan Wang, Qi Wang, Qianqian Wang, Caixia Yan, Cuiling Yuan, Xiaobo Zhao, Chunjuan Li and Shihua Shan
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1408; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101408 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 417
Abstract
12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductases (OPRs) have been substantiated as pivotal in plant growth and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the functional characterization of OPR genes in the peanut genome remains limited. In this study, we identified a total of 20 [...] Read more.
12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductases (OPRs) have been substantiated as pivotal in plant growth and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the functional characterization of OPR genes in the peanut genome remains limited. In this study, we identified a total of 20 OPR genes in a tetraploid cultivar and two diploid peanut species, categorizing them into two subfamilies, OPRI and OPRII. The gene structure and conserved protein motifs within each subfamily were elucidated. Additionally, our findings indicate an uneven chromosomal distribution of peanut OPR genes. Gene duplication events were identified as pivotal in the expansion of the OPR gene family. An analysis of cis-acting elements within OPR gene promoters revealed the presence of numerous phytohormone- and stress-related cis-elements. Furthermore, peanut OPR genes exhibited tissue-specific and stress-inducible expression patterns, underscoring their crucial role in peanut growth and stress response. Additionally, plants overexpressing AhOPR6 exhibited significantly enhanced resistance to salt stress, and the AhOPR6-OE lines demonstrated a higher ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Collectively, these findings offer deeper insights into the roles of peanut OPR genes in stress responses, suggesting that AhOPR6 could serve as a potential candidate gene for improving peanut salt tolerance through genetic transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Genetic Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress)
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17 pages, 5333 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Identification of HD-Zip Family Genes in Coix lacryma-jobi L. and Their Potential Roles in Response to Abiotic Stress
by Yongle Wang, Hongjuan Wang, Xianyong Lu, Chun Yu, Benli Jiang, Jiabao Zhu and Yujiao Wang
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1318; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091318 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 391
Abstract
HD-Zip (homeodomain-leucine zipper) transcription factors play a crucial role in plant growth, development, and stress response; however, the HD-Zip gene family of Coix lacryma-jobi L. has not been identified. In this study, a total of 40 HD-Zip gene family members were identified in [...] Read more.
HD-Zip (homeodomain-leucine zipper) transcription factors play a crucial role in plant growth, development, and stress response; however, the HD-Zip gene family of Coix lacryma-jobi L. has not been identified. In this study, a total of 40 HD-Zip gene family members were identified in the genome of Coix. According to phylogenetic analysis, the Coix HD-Zip gene was divided into four subfamilies (I–IV), of which the HD-Zip I subfamily can be further divided into five branches. Moreover, HD-Zip members of the same subfamily usually share similar gene structures and conserved motifs. The transcription factor binding site enrichment analysis showed that there are many motifs for binding with transcription factors such as ERF (Ethylene responsive factor), MYB (v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog), and ARF (Auxin Response Factor) in the promoter region of the ClHDZ genes. The results of qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) and expression profile analysis showed that ClHD-Zip I genes showed different levels of expression under different stress treatments. Among them, ClHDZ4 was located in the nucleus, and its expression pattern was significantly upregulated under salt, drought, and high-temperature stress. In addition, ectopic expression of ClHDZ4 enhanced the growth of yeast strains under drought, salt, or high-temperature treatment. In summary, these results laid a foundation for further research on the resistance function of the Coix HD-Zip gene. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Genetic Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress)
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17 pages, 11897 KiB  
Article
Molecular Mechanisms of Gene Expression Regulation in Response to Heat Stress in Hemerocallis fulva
by Boyan Chu, Weixue Liu, Jinxia Li, Xiaofei Zhang and Ping Li
Plants 2025, 14(5), 690; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050690 - 24 Feb 2025
Viewed by 675
Abstract
Hemerocallis fulva is one of the three major flowers in the world; its flower type and color are very rich, with high ornamental value and economic value. Heat stress severely limits the cultivation and geographical distribution of H. fulva. Genetic resources and [...] Read more.
Hemerocallis fulva is one of the three major flowers in the world; its flower type and color are very rich, with high ornamental value and economic value. Heat stress severely limits the cultivation and geographical distribution of H. fulva. Genetic resources and their underlying molecular mechanisms constitute the cornerstone of contemporary breeding technologies. However, research on the response of H. fulva to heat stress remains relatively scant. In this study, we used the heat-resistant ‘Dan Yang’ variety and heat-sensitive ‘Nuo Mi Lu’ variety with phenotypic expression as experimental materials to determine the changes in substance and gene expression levels, and used bioinformatics technology to study the molecular mechanisms and gene resource mining of H. fulva in response to heat stress. We identified several thousand differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in different comparison groups. At the same time, 1850 shared DEGs were identified in two H. fulva genotypes responding to heat stress. The dynamic cutting algorithm was used to cluster the genes, and 23 gene co-expression modules were obtained. The MEorangered, MElightpink, and MEmagenta modules were significantly correlated with physiological and biochemical traits. We identified ten key genes closely related to the response of H. fulva to heat stress, including plant–pathogen interactions, plant hormone signal transduction, oxidative transduction phosphorylation, and the plant hormone signal transduction pathway. This study not only analyzes the molecular mechanism of H. fulva response to heat stress, but also provides genetic resources for breeding H. fulva heat tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Genetic Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress)
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16 pages, 3165 KiB  
Article
Morpho-Physiological Traits and Oil Quality in Drought-Tolerant Raphanus sativus L. Used for Biofuel Production
by Luciana Minervina de Freitas Moura, Alan Carlos da Costa, Caroline Müller, Robson de Oliveira Silva-Filho, Gabriel Martins Almeida, Adinan Alves da Silva, Elivane Salete Capellesso, Fernando Nobre Cunha and Marconi Batista Teixeira
Plants 2024, 13(12), 1583; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13121583 - 7 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1192
Abstract
Raphanus sativus L. is a potential source of raw material for biodiesel fuel due to the high oil content in its grains. In Brazil, this species is cultivated in the low rainfall off-season, which limits the productivity of the crop. The present study [...] Read more.
Raphanus sativus L. is a potential source of raw material for biodiesel fuel due to the high oil content in its grains. In Brazil, this species is cultivated in the low rainfall off-season, which limits the productivity of the crop. The present study investigated the effects of water restriction on the physiological and biochemical responses, production components, and oil quality of R. sativus at different development stages. The treatments consisted of 100% water replacement (control), 66%, and 33% of field capacity during the phenological stages of vegetative growth, flowering, and grain filling. We evaluated characteristics of water relations, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, chloroplast pigment, proline, and sugar content. The production components and chemical properties of the oil were also determined at the end of the harvest cycle. Drought tolerance of R. sativus was found to be mediated primarily during the vegetative growth stage by changes in photosynthetic metabolism, stability of photochemical efficiency, increased proline concentrations, and maintenance of tissue hydration. Grain filling was most sensitive to water limitation and showed a reduction in yield and oil content. However, the chemical composition of the oil was not altered by the water deficit. Our data suggest that R. sativus is a drought-tolerant species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Genetic Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress)
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