Impacts of Environmental Stressors on Plants and Mitigation Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental stress factors are among the most important limiting factors for the growth, development, and productivity of plants. Abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, nutrient deficiencies, extreme climate factors, heavy metal accumulation, UV radiation, and air pollution, as well as biotic stresses, such as pathogens and pests, can cause physiological and biochemical disruptions in plants. These stress conditions reduce the rate of photosynthesis, plant growth, development, damage cell membranes, and increase the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Consequently, they cause significant losses in plant productivity. With the intensifying effects of climate change, the pressure on agricultural production from environmental stresses has become more critical globally. Plants can develop tolerance to stressful conditions by activating antioxidant defense systems, synthesizing osmoprotective compounds, and regulating hormonal signaling mechanisms. Nevertheless, developing stress-reducing practices is essential for ensuring the continuity of sustainable production. Effective approaches to reducing the negative effects of stress conditions include the use of biofertilizers, microbial inoculants, organic regulators (biochar, hydro char, gyttja, and leonardid), silicon applications, biostimulants, and tolerant plant varieties. Additionally, modern biotechnological methods and sustainable soil management strategies offer significant potential for increasing plants' resilience to environmental stresses.

In this Special Issue, we explore recent advances and discoveries on the following topics:

• Molecular, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms underlying plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses;
• Stress sensing, signal transduction pathways, and regulatory networks involved in plant adaptation;
• Plant responses to drought, salinity, heat, cold, flooding, heavy metals, and combined stress conditions;
• Climate change impacts on plant productivity, resilience, and ecosystem sustainability;
• Oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling, and antioxidant defense mechanisms;
• Plant resilience, stress memory, and adaptive responses under changing environments;
• Plant–microbe interactions and the role of beneficial microorganisms in stress mitigation;
• Biofertilizers, biostimulants, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and microbial consortia for sustainable crop production;
• Soil health, rhizosphere processes, and microbiome-mediated stress tolerance;
• Carbon sequestration, nutrient-use efficiency, and sustainable soil management under environmental stress;
• Omics-based approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics) for understanding plant stress responses;
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and precision agriculture tools for stress detection and management;
• Gene editing, biotechnology, and breeding strategies for developing stress-tolerant crops;
• Nature-based solutions and climate-smart agricultural practices for improving crop resilience;
• Field-scale evaluation and long-term assessment of stress management strategies under real agricultural conditions.

Dr. Emre Babur
Dr. Martin Battaglia
Dr. André Amakobo Diatta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• environmental stress
• abiotic stress
• biotic stress
• drought
• salinity
• nutrient deficiency
• plant anatomy
• tree growth
• desert plant ecology
• drought effects on plants
• plant physiology
• climate change
• reactive oxygen species (ROS)
• antioxidant defense system
• plant stress tolerance
• sustainable agriculture
• stress management
• biotechnological approaches
• renewable plants in arid regions
• breeding strategies
• mitigation strategies
• biostimulants
• biofertilizers
• microbial inoculants
• soil management