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Systems-Level Understanding of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stress: Physiological and...
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Systems-Level Understanding of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stress: Physiological and Biochemical Perspectives

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: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 838

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Małgorzata Nykiel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: acclimatization to drought; signaling under stress; the physiological and biochemical response of the plant to stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dominika Boguszewska-Mańkowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute—National Research Institute in Radzików, Jadwisin Division, Department of Potato Agronomy, Szaniawskiego Str. 15, 05-140 Serock, Poland
Interests: potato breeding; abiotic stress tolerance; root system assessment; cultivar tolerance evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and deficiencies of mineral nutrients are among the major environmental factors limiting the growth and productivity of plants. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying stress perception, signal transduction, and adaptation requires an integrated systems-level approach encompassing molecular, biochemical, and physiological scales.

We invite the submission of original research articles and review papers addressing, among others, changes in the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome, as well as the regulation of hormonal signaling pathways, with particular emphasis on abscisic acid, cytokinins, ethylene, auxins, and jasmonates.

Special attention will be given to studies employing multi-omics approaches and integrating experimental data with bioinformatic analyses and regulatory network modeling. We are also interested in contributions identifying key molecular regulators, such as transcription factors, kinases, and signaling proteins, that determine plant stress adaptation and may serve as targets for biotechnological and breeding strategies to enhance stress tolerance.

We encourage collaboration among researchers across disciplines—from plant molecular biology and stress physiology to bioinformatics and genetic engineering. We believe integrative, cross-scale approaches will contribute to the development of stress-resilient plants, supporting the advancement of sustainable agriculture in the face of global climate change.

Dr. Małgorzata Nykiel
Dr. Dominika Boguszewska-Mańkowska
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

  • stress tolerance
  • transcriptomics
  • proteomics
  • metabolomics
  • hormonal regulation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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17 pages, 1829 KB  
Article
Effect of Alkaline Salt Stress on Photosynthetic Activities of Potato Plants (Solanum tuberosum L.)
by Congang Shen, Wenhui Yang, Yichen Kang, Shuhao Qin, Weina Zhang, Yuhui Liu, Siyuan Qian and Yuchen Han
Plants 2025, 14(19), 2979; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14192979 - 26 Sep 2025
Abstract
Land salinization severely limits the development of agriculture, and the growing global population poses a serious challenge to food security. As an abiotic stress factor limiting photosynthesis in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), alkaline salt stress significantly impacts their photosynthetic activity. In this [...] Read more.
Land salinization severely limits the development of agriculture, and the growing global population poses a serious challenge to food security. As an abiotic stress factor limiting photosynthesis in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), alkaline salt stress significantly impacts their photosynthetic activity. In this study, potted seedlings of the ‘Atlantic’ variety were planted in the pots. Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) was incorporated into the dry soil within the pots at four distinct concentration levels: 0 mmol/L, 20 mmol/L, 40 mmol/L, and 60 mmol/L. The findings indicated that at a concentration of 60 mmol/L, the initial fluorescence (Fo) exhibited its peak value. At this concentration, NaHCO3 stress induced a significant decline in several parameters: variable fluorescence (Fv), the chlorophyll fluorescence ratio (Fv/Fm), dark-adapted maximum fluorescence (Fm), the Fv/Fo ratio, and overall plant performance. Compared to the control CK, the values of Fv, Fv/Fm, Fm, and Fv/Fo decreased by 42.36%, 20.44%, 54.1%, and 61.97%, respectively. At a stress concentration of 60 mmol/L, NaHCO3 stress exhibited a more pronounced inhibition of chlorophyll synthesis. Under T3 treatment at this stress concentration, the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll a/b were significantly lower than the control group (CK), decreasing by 46.29%, 54.3%, and 48.56%, respectively. The T2 treatment showed the next most pronounced reduction, with levels 33.26%, 45.75%, and 36.79% lower than CK, respectively. After a brief increase in the intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) in photosynthetic gas exchange, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) decreased significantly with the gradual increase in concentration and prolongation of time. The expression levels of genes related to some subunits of photosystem II and photosystem I were down-regulated under stress, while the expressions of genes related to Fd and FNR were also down-regulated to varying degrees. In this study, photosynthetic activities such as fluorescence parameters, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic gas exchange were measured, along with 16 key photosynthetic genes of potato plants. The aim was to explore the effects of alkaline salt stress on potato photosynthesis and its related mechanisms. The research outcomes contribute to a better understanding of potato’s adaptive responses to alkaline stress, potentially informing future efforts in crop improvement and saline agriculture management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems-Level Understanding of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stress: Physiological and Biochemical Perspectives)
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18 pages, 2690 KB  
Article
Transcriptomic Analysis of Differential Gene Expression in Hevea brasiliensis Under Short-Term Cold Stress
by Madushi Vishmitha Weeramange, Chenrui Gu, Shichao Xin, Xiaochuan Gu, Bin Yi and Tiandai Huang
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2900; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182900 - 18 Sep 2025
Viewed by 236
Abstract
Cold stress limits the growth and productivity of Hevea brasiliensis, the primary source of natural rubber. This study investigated early transcriptomic responses in Reyan ‘7-33-97’ seedlings exposed to 4 °C, 10 °C, and 15 °C for 1, 2, and 4 h with room [...] Read more.
Cold stress limits the growth and productivity of Hevea brasiliensis, the primary source of natural rubber. This study investigated early transcriptomic responses in Reyan ‘7-33-97’ seedlings exposed to 4 °C, 10 °C, and 15 °C for 1, 2, and 4 h with room temperature (25 °C) as the control. RNA sequencing identified 9894 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with the most significant transcriptional changes observed at 10 °C, indicating that genes to resist cold stress could not be mobilized at 4 °C, resulting in poor cold resistance of the rubber tree. KEGG enrichment analysis of DEGs between 10 °C (2 h) and 4 °C (2 h) revealed that genes involved in tryptophan metabolism (HbKynL.x1, HbKynL, HbCLP1, HbCLP2) and carbon metabolism (TCH4, XTH23), which contribute to cell wall modification, exhibited higher expression at 10 °C. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis highlighted significant involvement of “thylakoid,” “photosystems,” and “photosynthetic membrane,” alongside molecular functions such as “xyloglucan transferase activity” and “transcriptional regulator activity.” The interacting network of key pathways, including carbon metabolism (ko01200) and carbon fixation (ko00710) pathways, was sorted out, highlighting their integration with plant hormone signal transduction. Complex signaling networks, including MAPK, and kynurenine pathways coordinate the expression of cold-responsive genes and protective proteins, and it was confirmed and speculated that there is crosstalk response in cold defense mechanisms. Furthermore, 61 DEGs were associated with antioxidant processes, including major catalase and peroxidase enzymes. Our study shows that rubber trees physiological activities that respond to low-temperature signals cannot be carried out normally at 4 °C. The newly discovered metabolic pathway and the reason for abnormal cold signal transduction at low temperatures are the focus of future research on cold resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems-Level Understanding of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stress: Physiological and Biochemical Perspectives)
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27 pages, 3699 KB  
Article
Tree Age-Related Differences in Chilling Resistance and Bark-Bleeding Physiological Responses to Chemical Component and Fiber Morphology Changes in Cell Walls of Hevea brasiliensis Bark
by Linlin Cheng, Huichuan Jiang, Guishui Xie, Jikun Wang, Wentao Peng, Lijun Zhou, Wanting Liu, Dingquan Wu and Feng An
Plants 2025, 14(16), 2531; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14162531 - 14 Aug 2025
Viewed by 418
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between the chilling resistance of rubber trees and the bark-bleeding characteristics caused by chilling stress, considering physiological indicators in rubber tree bark, cell wall chemical components, fiber morphologies, and tensile properties. This offered [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between the chilling resistance of rubber trees and the bark-bleeding characteristics caused by chilling stress, considering physiological indicators in rubber tree bark, cell wall chemical components, fiber morphologies, and tensile properties. This offered a unique perspective for examining the underlying mechanisms of latex bleeding and chilling stress in Hevea brasiliensis. One-year-old seedlings and two-year-old twig segments in five- and twenty-one-year-old rubber trees (5YB and 21YB) were used to compare the age-mediation differences in their various parameters. Meanwhile, the LT50 values were calculated with Logistic regression analysis of relative electrical conductivity (REC) data under gradient low temperatures. Subsequently, changes in corresponding parameters of 1-year-old seedling stem bark at different ages were determined, and the bark-bleeding characteristics of seedlings and twig segments were analyzed under artificially simulated chilling stress, respectively. A correlation analysis between semi-lethal temperature (LT50) values, relative water content (RWC) values, bark-bleeding characteristics, cell-wall chemical component contents, fiber dimensions, and tensile property parameters was implemented to estimate interrelationships among them. The LT50 values ranged from −2.0387 °C to −0.8695 °C. The results showed that the chilling resistance order of rubber trees at different ages was as follows: 21YB (2-year-old twig bark from 21-year-old rubber trees) > 5YB (2-year-old twig bark from 5-year-old rubber trees) > SLB (semi-lignification bark in 1-year-old seedlings) > GB (green bark in 1-year-old seedlings). The chilling resistance of seedlings and twig segments in rubber trees was highly positively (p < 0.001) related to fiber morphologies. Chilling-induced bark-bleeding characteristics were significantly correlated (p < 0.001) with fiber morphologies, bark tensile properties, and cell-wall components. The analysis data in this study contribute towards building a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of chilling-induced bark bleeding needed not only in rubber tree cultivation but also in sustainable rubber production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems-Level Understanding of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stress: Physiological and Biochemical Perspectives)
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