Circadian Regulation of Growth, Development and Metabolism in Plants/Microorganisms

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Development and Morphogenesis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 789

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: circadian regulation; growth and development; plants/microorganism
College of Horticulture, Yangling Sub-Center of National Center for Apple Improvement, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
Interests: plants; metabolism; genome; morphological development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The circadian clock, which controls endogenous rhythms over approximately 24 hr, has evolved over 3.5 billion years to reach its present form in microorganisms (cyanobacteria). Three hundred years ago, De Mairan (1729) published the first scientific report on chronobiology and distinguished between the fundamental mechanisms of biological clocks and endogenous output rhythms (sleep movement) in plants (Mimosa pudica) under entrained and constant (free running) conditions. Expanding on the classical and long-term systemic research studies of Aschoff and Pittendrigh, knowledge of the canonical properties of circadian clocks (their free-running period, entrainment, and temperature compensation) has been gathered. However, our present understanding of the “circadian regulation mechanism” in plants/microorganisms is incomplete. In this Special Issue, studies should investigate input pathways, circadian oscillators, and output rhythms to further understand the regulation mechanism of growth, development, and metabolism (especially active secondary metabolites) in plant/microorganism circadian systems. In addition, plants and crops have inevitably faced and adapted to drastic changes in their environments owing to climate change. Articles are encouraged to discuss a wide range of issues concerning the circadian regulation of the physiological and biochemical processes of experimental systems in abiotic stresses and applications of “Chronbiotics” (e.g., melatonin and light) in biotechnology and agriculture through original experimental papers, opinions, and reviews.

Dr. Kamran Shah
Dr. Xiya Zuo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • circadian clock
  • regulation mechanism
  • growth and development
  • abiotic stresses
  • chronbiotics

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This special issue is now open for submission.
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