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Plants
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Genetic Analysis of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stresses
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Genetic Analysis of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stresses

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: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 4992

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pavel Kerchev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: redox signaling; chemical genetics; histone post-translational modifications, epigenetics, proteomics, metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Shweta Kalve

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Interests: crop biotechnology; plant physiology; flowering; molecular biology; plant breeding; abiotic stress; root rot; legumes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Genetic diversity forms the basis for plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. This diversity provides plants with the ability to dynamically adjust their physiological and biochemical processes in response to a wide range of environmental stresses. Under stress conditions, plants initiate a series of gene expressions and produce specific proteins to combat the negative effects of the external environment. These gene regulatory processes involve complex signal transduction pathways. Simultaneously, plants possess the ability to influence gene expression and functionality through the regulation of gene mutations. This capability impacts plant physiology, morphology, and molecular adaptability, empowering them to effectively contend with particular environmental stresses like drought, high temperatures, and salinity. These adaptive mutations are retained by natural selection during the evolution of plant populations and gradually accumulate, thereby improving the adaptability of the entire population.

This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest research results and perspectives on the genetic adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses. We welcome articles including original research papers, perspectives, opinions, and reviews that thoroughly explore the role of genetic diversity, gene mutation, gene regulation, and natural selection in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. By delving into these fields through extensive research, we anticipate achieving a deeper comprehension of how plants adapt to diverse environmental conditions. This understanding can offer valuable insights into enhancing agricultural production and promoting ecological conservation.

Dr. Pavel Kerchev
Dr. Shweta Kalve
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 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-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

  • abiotic stress
  • drought
  • gene expression
  • genetic diversity
  • molecular mechanisms

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2306 KB  
Article
Morphological and Transcriptomic Analyses Provide New Insights into Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) Seedling Roots Response to Nitrogen Stress
by Braulio J. Soto-Cerda, Giovanni Larama, Bourlaye Fofana and Izsavo Soto
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2920; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182920 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 803
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is the most important macro-nutrient for plant growth and development, which not only results in the highest cost in crop production but may also lead to environmental pollution. Hence, there is a need to develop N and use efficient genotypes, a [...] Read more.
Nitrogen (N) is the most important macro-nutrient for plant growth and development, which not only results in the highest cost in crop production but may also lead to environmental pollution. Hence, there is a need to develop N and use efficient genotypes, a prerequisite for which is a better understanding of N stress adaptation. Here, responses of two contrasting linseed accessions at the seedling stage were assessed for N stress-induced changes in twelve phenotypic traits and for gene expression profiling in the roots. The results showed that nine out of twelve phenotypic traits were affected under N stress conditions, and include total root length (TRL), root tips (RT), shoot dry weight (SDW), root dry weight (RDW), root-to-shoot ratio (R/S), plant nitrogen content (PNC), shoot nitrogen content (SNC), root nitrogen content (RNC), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). For example, under N stress, the TRL, RDW, SDW, PNC, SNC, and RNC showed reductions of 7.1, 7.6, 16.0, 43.7, 43.3, and 38.7%, respectively. The N-efficient (NE) genotype outperformed the N-inefficient (NI) genotype for all root and shoot traits and NUE under N stress and N normal conditions. Transcriptome analysis identified 1034 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under the contrasting N conditions and uncovered the opposite responses of the two linseed genotypes to N starvation at the gene expression level. DEGs included 153 transcription factors distributed in 27 families, among which ERF, MYB, NAC, and WRKY were the most represented. In addition, DEGs involved in N absorption and transport, root development, amino acid transport, and antioxidant activity were found to be differentially expressed. The candidate genes identified in the current study are purported for their roles in N metabolism in other crops and might also play a pivotal role in N stress adaptation in linseed, and therefore could be useful for further detailed research on N stress response in linseed, paving the way toward developing N-efficient linseed cultivars with improved root system architecture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Analysis of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stresses)
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10 pages, 1657 KB  
Article
Single- and Multi-Locus GWAS Unravels Novel Genomic Regions Related to Low-Phosphate Stress in Cotton Seedlings
by Xianxu Wei, Siyu Yao, Jiangnuo Di, Jiaxin Guan, Aohan Wang, Jie Yang, Luyao Zhang, Yang Liu, Mengyao Liang, Zhihao Niu, Xuan Zhang, Jiarui Xue, Mengxue Shen, Lin Li, Yao Su and Zhengwen Sun
Plants 2025, 14(12), 1803; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14121803 - 12 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 826
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and low-phosphorus (LP) stress significantly limits cotton productivity. Here, we conducted single- and multi-locus genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on four LP-related traits using 419 upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) accessions genotyped with 2.97 [...] Read more.
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and low-phosphorus (LP) stress significantly limits cotton productivity. Here, we conducted single- and multi-locus genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on four LP-related traits using 419 upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) accessions genotyped with 2.97 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Phenotypic analysis reveals substantial variation under LP stress, with LP-SDW showing the highest coefficient of variation (33.69%). The GWASs identified thousands of significant SNPs, including pleiotropic loci associated with multiple traits. Chromosomes A08, D09, and D12 harbored novel associated signals. Multi-locus models significantly enhanced detection sensitivity, identifying 123 SNPs undetected by single-locus approaches. Functional annotations prioritized six candidate genes near associated SNPs, including GhM_A08G1315 (remorin protein) and GhM_D06G1152 (carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase), whose LP-induced expression patterns were validated by qRT-PCR. These genes are implicated in membrane signaling, root architecture modulation, and hormone metabolism. Our findings provide novel genetic insights into LP tolerance and establish a foundation for breeding phosphorus-efficient varieties through marker-assisted selection in cotton. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Analysis of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stresses)
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16 pages, 9658 KB  
Article
Identification of DREB Family Genes in Banana and Their Function under Drought and Cold Stress
by Yi Xu, Yanshu Zhang, Funing Ma, Jingxi Zhao, Huiting Yang, Shun Song and Shaoling Zhang
Plants 2024, 13(15), 2119; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152119 - 31 Jul 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2671
Abstract
Bananas are one of the most important cash crops in the tropics and subtropics. Drought and low-temperature stress affect the growth of banana. The DREB (dehydration responsive element binding protein) gene family, as one of the major transcription factor families, plays crucial roles [...] Read more.
Bananas are one of the most important cash crops in the tropics and subtropics. Drought and low-temperature stress affect the growth of banana. The DREB (dehydration responsive element binding protein) gene family, as one of the major transcription factor families, plays crucial roles in defense against abiotic stress. Currently, systematic analyses of the banana DREB (MaDREB) gene family have not yet been reported. In this study, 103 members of the MaDREB gene family were identified in the banana genome. In addition, transcriptomic analysis results revealed that MaDREBs responded to drought and cold stress. The expression of MaDREB14/22/51 was induced by drought and cold stress; these geneswere selected for further analysis. The qRT-PCR validation results confirmed the transcriptome results. Additionally, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing MaDREB14/22/51 exhibited enhanced resistance to drought and cold stress by reducing MDA content and increasing PRO and soluble sugar content. This study enhances our understanding of the function of the MaDREB gene family, provides new insights into their regulatory role under abiotic stress, and lays a good foundation for improving drought and cold stress-tolerant banana verities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Analysis of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stresses)
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