Plant Physiology: Signalling Pathways in Response to Environmental Stress

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 1315

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
Interests: plant stress physiology; signal transduction; stress tolerance mechanisms; plant growth regulators; plant hormones, secondary metabolism; environmental pollution

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: tea plants; flavonoid; stress physiology; plant hormones; secondary metabolism
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce a forthcoming Special Issue in Plants, titled “Plant Physiology: Signaling Pathways in Response to Environmental Stress”. This Special Issue aims to provide a scholarly platform for the dissemination of innovative research on the physiological and molecular mechanisms that plants employ to combat environmental stress.

Plants, as stationary organisms, are constantly exposed to abiotic stressors such as salinity, drought, and temperature extremes. Plants also integrate various environmental signals, such as light and temperature, to fine-tune their growth and defense responses. They respond to these challenges through a variety of signaling molecules and hormones, including reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, and calcium (Ca2+), which serve as universal secondary messengers in response to diverse stresses and developmental cues. The crosstalk between plant hormone signaling pathways plays pivotal roles in orchestrating plant responses to abiotic stresses and pathogen defense. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades play pivotal roles in plant stress responses. Recent research has also highlighted the emerging role of electrical signals in plant stress responses.

Unraveling these complex signaling pathways and networks, from signal perception to physiological responses, is a major challenge in plant signaling research. Fundamental research on cell signaling will enhance our understanding of stress responses at the whole plant level. It is crucial to improve crop stress resistance, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture and food security for a growing global population.

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of various signaling mechanisms and crucial molecular signals involved in stress responses. We invite the submission of original research papers and reviews that delve into all facets of plant stress biology, with a particular emphasis on signaling pathways under environmental stress conditions. We look forward to your contributions to this exciting field of research.

Dr. Golam Jalal Ahammed
Dr. Xin Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant hormone
  • abscisic acid
  • hormone signaling
  • hormone crosstalk
  • reactive oxygen species
  • secondary messenger
  • oxidative stress
  • abiotic stress
  • biotic stress
  • stress sensing
  • stress tolerance
  • signal transduction
  • MAPK
  • light signaling
  • electrical signals

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1606 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Yield, Physiological, and Quality Traits of Strawberry Cultivated Under Organic Management by Applying Different Non-Microbial Biostimulants
by Michele Ciriello, Antonio Pannico, Youssef Rouphael and Boris Basile
Plants 2025, 14(5), 712; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050712 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 667
Abstract
Organic farming is an environmentally friendly management practice that excludes the use of synthetic inputs, but at the same time is associated with lower yields than conventional production. In an attempt to compensate for yield reduction, resulting from foregoing the use of synthetic [...] Read more.
Organic farming is an environmentally friendly management practice that excludes the use of synthetic inputs, but at the same time is associated with lower yields than conventional production. In an attempt to compensate for yield reduction, resulting from foregoing the use of synthetic fertilizers, we hypothesized that the use of biostimulant products could provide much-desired food security. In light of this, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to compare and evaluate the effects of the foliar application of three different non-microbial biostimulants (a seaweed extract, a plant protein hydrolysate, and a plant extract) on the yield, mineral profile, and physiological response of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) grown in an organic farming context. Regardless of the type of biostimulant, treated plants showed significant improvement in photosynthetic performance. Specifically, the application of plant-derived protein hydrolysate increased ACO2 by 34.5% compared with control. Despite this, only the application of plant-derived protein hydrolysate significantly increased fruit yield per unit area (+13.5%). The improved performance of plants treated with plant-derived protein hydrolysate was associated with an overall improvement in mineral profile (compared to control +49.4 and 33.0% in NO3 and Mg2+ concentration, respectively). In contrast, application of the seaweed biostimulant increased (+17.4%) fruit antioxidant activity (DPPH) compared with control plants. These results underscore how the diverse origins of non-microbial biostimulants are responsible for specific responses in crops that can be exploited by organic growers to increase productivity. Full article
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