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Plants
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Plant Stress Physiology and Ecophysiological Responses to Environmental Challenges
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Plant Stress Physiology and Ecophysiological Responses to Environmental Challenges

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: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 4886

Editor

Dr. Brigitta Tóth

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: abiotic stress; antioxidative enzymes; biofertilizers/biostimulants; biotic stress; free radicals; plant nutrients
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In today’s changing world, plant sciences play a vital role, especially in the context of global food security. Agriculture forms the foundation of human society by supplying the food essential for survival. However, climate change, global warming, and other environmental threats increasingly jeopardize crop yield and quality. Plant stress physiology focuses on how plants detect, respond to, and adapt to unfavorable environmental conditions that impair their growth and development.

Plant stress can be categorized as abiotic or biotic. Abiotic stressors include drought, temperature extremes, salinity, nutrient imbalances, heavy metals, and pollution, while biotic stressors include pathogens, herbivores, and parasitic organisms. These stressors may result from both natural and human-induced environmental changes, significantly affecting plant ecophysiology.

Plants have developed complex strategies to cope with stress, including osmotic adjustment, changes in stomatal behavior, activation of antioxidant systems, and the production of hormones and stress-related proteins. These forms of adaptation help them maintain physiological balance and minimize damage.

Plants’ responses vary depending on plant genotype, developmental stage, and prior stress exposure. Understanding these mechanisms is key to predicting plant performance under variable environmental conditions. In agriculture, applying this knowledge helps improve crop resilience through stress-tolerant breeding, optimized resource use, and integrated management practices—critical steps for maintaining productivity in the face of climate uncertainty.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and short communications that explore plant responses to environmental stressors from a physiological and ecophysiological standpoint. While the focus is on crop species, studies involving model or wild plants that contribute to our understanding of stress responses are equally welcome. We particularly encourage multidisciplinary approaches that integrate molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, and systems biology with classical and modern plant physiology.

Dr. Brigitta Tóth
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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

  • adaptation
  • antioxidant enzymes
  • cellular damage
  • crop production
  • crop protection
  • crops
  • free radicals
  • oxidative damage

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1123 KB  
Article
Leaf Functional Trait Responses of Urban Street Trees to Point-Source Heat Stress: A Shift Toward Resource-Conservative Strategies Driven by Air-Conditioner Exhausts
by Jiyou Zhu and Hongyuan Li
Plants 2026, 15(13), 1952; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15131952 - 25 Jun 2026
Viewed by 363
Abstract
Urban green infrastructure is increasingly exposed to fine-scale thermal heterogeneity generated by anthropogenic point-source heat emissions, yet the leaf-level responses of adjacent vegetation to such localized stress remain poorly understood. Here, we examined whether air-conditioner (AC) exhaust, a widespread point-source heat emitter, is [...] Read more.
Urban green infrastructure is increasingly exposed to fine-scale thermal heterogeneity generated by anthropogenic point-source heat emissions, yet the leaf-level responses of adjacent vegetation to such localized stress remain poorly understood. Here, we examined whether air-conditioner (AC) exhaust, a widespread point-source heat emitter, is associated with functional trait shifts in Fraxinus chinensis street trees, and whether easily measurable leaf traits can serve as candidate indicators for ecological monitoring. Using a matched treatment–control field comparison, we compared trees located 2 m from operating AC units with unaffected controls and quantified nine leaf functional traits together with concurrent microclimate variables. AC exhaust created a distinct compound heat–drought–wind micro-environment at the 2 m patch scale, with higher air temperature (+6.3 °C), lower relative humidity (−12.3 percentage points), and higher wind speed (5.2-fold). Exposed trees showed a coordinated shift toward more resource-conservative leaf traits: leaf dry matter content (+14.8%), tissue density (+13.6%), leaf thickness (+6.3%), and stomatal density (+11.7%) increased significantly, whereas specific leaf area (−10.6%), leaf area (−12.5%), chlorophyll content index (−4.6%), and stomatal area (−10.4%) decreased significantly. The observed “small-and-numerous” stomatal configuration suggests altered stomatal regulation, although its implications for transpiration-driven cooling require direct physiological validation. Exploratory structural equation modeling suggested associations among AC-exhaust exposure, leaf economic strategy, and stomatal traits; stomatal regulation showed the highest proportion of model-explained variance (R2 = 0.598), but this value should not be interpreted as direct evidence of impairment severity or restoration potential. Leaf dry matter content, specific leaf area, and stomatal density emerged as sensitive and practical candidate indicators of AC-exhaust-associated leaf functional shifts. These findings support precautionary management near AC exhaust outlets, while specific planting-distance thresholds and zoning frameworks require future validation through distance-gradient or manipulative experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Stress Physiology and Ecophysiological Responses to Environmental Challenges)
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26 pages, 1764 KB  
Article
Insights into Selenium-Modulated Amino Acids and Carbohydrates as Osmolytes Linked to Photosynthetic Efficiency in Drought-Stressed Edamame
by Masego Sekhurwane, Mpho Mafa, Zoltán Kovács, László Kaszás, Béla Kovács, Brigitta Tóth and Makoena Joyce Moloi
Plants 2026, 15(13), 1943; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15131943 - 24 Jun 2026
Viewed by 316
Abstract
Drought impairs osmotic adjustment and photosynthetic performance in legumes; however, the role of micronutrients in modulating these responses across genotypes remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of selenium on the osmolytes and photosynthetic efficiency in two vegetable-soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) [...] Read more.
Drought impairs osmotic adjustment and photosynthetic performance in legumes; however, the role of micronutrients in modulating these responses across genotypes remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of selenium on the osmolytes and photosynthetic efficiency in two vegetable-soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) cultivars differing in drought responses: UVE14 (drought-tolerant) and UVE17 (drought-susceptible). Plants were grown under well-watered (100% soil water-holding capacity, WHC) and water-limited (30% soil WHC) conditions, with or without soil-applied selenium. Free amino acids, soluble sugars, chlorophyll pigments, vegetation indices, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were assessed at the flowering and pod-filling stages. Under drought conditions, selenium enhanced tolerance primarily by modulating free amino acid metabolism at flowering, increasing aspartate, asparagine, glutamine, and glutamate levels, alongside improvements in chlorophyll content, canopy greenness, and PSII photochemical efficiency. These responses indicate a coordinated adjustment between nitrogen metabolism and photosynthetic function. Both cultivars benefited from selenium application, although the responses were more pronounced in the susceptible cultivar (UVE17). Selenium-induced changes in soluble sugar content were greater under well-watered conditions in both cultivars. The limited accumulation of stress-associated osmolytes, such as proline, following selenium soil drench suggests reduced cellular disruption and mitigation of drought-induced stress. These findings highlight selenium as a context-dependent modulator of drought resilience and emphasize cultivar- and developmental stage-specific effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Stress Physiology and Ecophysiological Responses to Environmental Challenges)
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20 pages, 1934 KB  
Article
Compartment-Specific Niche Filtering Shapes the Structure and Nutrient-Cycling Potential of Bacterial Communities in Eutrophic Waters with Hydrilla verticillata
by Xiaorong Chen, Chuanxin Chao and Yonghong Xie
Plants 2026, 15(4), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15040641 - 18 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1178
Abstract
Submerged aquatic macrophytes and their microbiomes can help mitigate eutrophication, yet how microbial communities and functions differ across specific plant-associated and surrounding niches remains unclear. Here, we profiled bacterial community composition (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and quantified nitrogen and phosphorus cycling genes ( [...] Read more.
Submerged aquatic macrophytes and their microbiomes can help mitigate eutrophication, yet how microbial communities and functions differ across specific plant-associated and surrounding niches remains unclear. Here, we profiled bacterial community composition (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and quantified nitrogen and phosphorus cycling genes (narG, nirK, nirS, nosZ, phoD by qPCR) across eight distinct compartments associated with the submerged macrophyte Hydrilla verticillata in a eutrophic freshwater wetland. The niches spanned open water, bulk sediment, rhizosphere, and plant phyllosphere (leaf/stem surfaces) and endosphere (leaf/stem/root interiors). Alpha diversity differed significantly among niches: sediments (non-rhizosphere and rhizosphere) exhibited the highest Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) richness and diversity, whereas leaf-associated niches (phyllosphere and endosphere) had the lowest. Beta diversity showed clear separation by niche, indicating strong habitat filtering. Community composition also varied markedly: the water column was dominated by Bacteroidota (~51% of sequences), plant-associated communities were enriched in Pseudomonadota (43–90%), and sediment niches were dominated by Firmicutes (23~48%). Functional gene abundances showed pronounced niche partitioning. Nitrate/nitrite reduction genes (narG, nirK, nirS) were most enriched on leaf phyllosphere, with narG abundance equally high in the water, whereas the N2O reductase gene nosZ peaked in sediment niches. The alkaline phosphatase gene phoD had its highest copy numbers in leaf biofilms, with significantly lower levels in internal plant tissues. Overall, neutral processes explained ~61% of community variation, but deterministic assembly was evident in the well-connected water and leaf surface niches. These findings reveal strong niche differentiation in plant-associated microbiomes and suggest that compartmentalized microbial functional capacity within the H. verticillata holobiont enhances nitrogen removal and phosphorus cycling in eutrophic waters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Stress Physiology and Ecophysiological Responses to Environmental Challenges)
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33 pages, 2767 KB  
Article
Effects of Superabsorbent Polymers on Growth and Pigment Allocation in Chlorella vulgaris
by Gabriella Erzsébet Szemők, László Balázs, Ákos Tarnawa, Szandra Klátyik, Gergő Péter Kovács and Zoltán Kende
Plants 2025, 14(19), 2962; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14192962 - 24 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1569
Abstract
Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are increasingly applied in agriculture to enhance soil water retention, reduce nutrient loss, and mitigate drought stress—challenges expected to intensify under global climate change. While their benefits for crop growth are well documented, much less is known about their influence [...] Read more.
Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are increasingly applied in agriculture to enhance soil water retention, reduce nutrient loss, and mitigate drought stress—challenges expected to intensify under global climate change. While their benefits for crop growth are well documented, much less is known about their influence on free-living microorganisms. Here, we examined the effects of three SAP chemistries—potassium polyacrylate (DCM Aquaperla®), starch-based polyacrylamide (Zeba Plus SP®), and γ-polyglutamate (Stockosorb® 660 Medium)—on the growth and pigment composition of Chlorella vulgaris Beijerinck across three initial cell densities (22.8 × 103, 228 × 103, and 2.228 × 106 cells/mL). Six spectral indices, derived from weekly absorbance measurements over seven weeks, were used to track biomass and pigment allocation. Nonparametric repeated-measures analysis and principal component analysis revealed strong effects of SAP type, algal density, and time. Zeba consistently maintained biomass comparable to the control while enhancing carotenoid- and xanthophyll-sensitive indices, suggesting pigment reallocation without growth suppression. Stockosorb produced intermediate responses, whereas Aquaperla frequently reduced biomass-related measures, particularly at high density. Pigment allocation was also density-dependent, with low-density cultures investing proportionally more in carotenoids. Overall, these results show that SAP–microbe interactions are strongly influenced by polymer chemistry and starting biomass, with implications for biotechnology, environmental risk assessment, and sustainable crop production systems that aim to support both algal and plant resilience under drought. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Stress Physiology and Ecophysiological Responses to Environmental Challenges)
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