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Plant Hormones in Growth, Development, and Regeneration
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Plant Hormones in Growth, Development, and Regeneration

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2026) | Viewed by 4269

Editors

Prof. Dr. José Manuel Pérez Pérez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Bioingeniería, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain
Interests: adventitious roots; hormone crosstalk; cell reprogramming; plant genetics and genomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristina Martinez-Andujar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Plant Hormone Group, Department of Plant Nutrition, CEBAS-CSIC, Campus de Espinardo, 25, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: phytohormones; abiotic stress; rootstock physiology; root system architecture; plant nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant hormones play a fundamental role in regulating growth, development and regeneration, coordinating cellular processes that shape plant life. This Plants Special Issue aims to synthesize cutting-edge research that explores the diverse roles of these signaling molecules. We invite submissions that address the complex mechanisms by which hormones such as auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, abscisic acid, ethylene and brassinosteroids influence various aspects of plant biology, from embryogenesis and organogenesis to stress responses and wound healing. We encourage studies that utilize advanced techniques in molecular biology, genetics, physiology and systems biology to unravel the complexity of hormone signaling pathways and their impact on plant plasticity and adaptability.

This collection will provide a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in the field, highlighting the potential for translational applications in crop improvement and plant biotechnology. We invite the submission of original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that contribute to our understanding of plant hormone function.

  • Growth and development;
  • Regeneration;
  • Hormone regulation;
  • Signal transduction;
  • Plant plasticity.

Prof. Dr. José Manuel Pérez Pérez
Dr. Cristina Martínez-Andújar
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-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

  • plants hormone
  • growth and development
  • regeneration
  • signal transduction

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 6190 KB  
Article
Seed Hormonal Priming Improves Drought Resilience in Durum Wheat Through Modulation of Physiological and Biochemical Traits
by Rihab Zagoub, Manel Hmissi, Erika Fernandez-Martinez, Francisco Garcia-Sanchez and Abdelmajid Krouma
Plants 2026, 15(11), 1700; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15111700 - 30 May 2026
Viewed by 270
Abstract
Drought stress is one of the most severe constraints affecting wheat production worldwide. Under these conditions, the development of sustainable and economically viable strategies, such as seed priming, is essential to improve wheat performance and drought resilience. The present study carried out a [...] Read more.
Drought stress is one of the most severe constraints affecting wheat production worldwide. Under these conditions, the development of sustainable and economically viable strategies, such as seed priming, is essential to improve wheat performance and drought resilience. The present study carried out a greenhouse experiment on four Mediterranean durum wheat cultivars (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum Desf), i.e., Karim (Kr) and Khiar (Kh) from Tunisia and Espelta (Esp) and Mocho (Mo) from Spain, subjected to drought stress conditions, and using primed abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), melatonin (Mlt), and salicylic acid (SA), and non-primed seeds. In order to assess the physio-biochemical responses of durum wheat, such as plant growth, chlorophyll, relative water content (RWC), water potential (Ψw), osmotic potential (Ψs), proline, soluble sugars, starch, glycine betaine, hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, and antioxidant enzyme activities. The results showed that water stress significantly reduced plant growth, SPAD index, RWC, Ψw, and Ψs, while upregulating H2O2 and MDA levels, depending on the wheat cultivars. Soluble sugars decreased, whereas starch, glycine betaine, and proline accumulated in all cultivars. Superoxide dismutase activity was reduced (24–37%) under water stress as compared to the control condition, while APX, CAT, and POD activities significantly increased. Among the cultivars, Esp exhibited the greatest plasticity in response to water deficit, whereas Kh appeared to be most sensitive. Furthermore, the present results revealed that the priming durum wheat seeds with ABA, IAA, Mlt, and SA improved leaf hydration, particularly through soluble sugar accumulation. Seed priming also alleviated oxidative stress by reducing H2O2 and MDA levels and stimulating APX, CAT, POD, and SOD activities. Plants grown from non-primed seeds of Spanish and Tunisian cultivars exhibited differential responses to drought stress, and those derived from primed seeds showed varying degrees of enhanced drought tolerance. Espelta demonstrated a high potential for stress tolerance and responsiveness to priming, followed by Karim, whereas Khiar was the most sensitive cultivar. Overall, the cultivars can be ranked in decreasing order of stress tolerance as Esp > Kr > Mo > Kh. These findings highlight the potential of phytohormone-based seed priming as an efficient and practical approach to enhance drought resilience in durum wheat, offering promising prospects for improving crop performance and stability under increasingly water-limited conditions in the era of climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Hormones in Growth, Development, and Regeneration)
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25 pages, 2363 KB  
Article
Salinity Stress Mitigation in Durum Wheat via Seed Hormonal Priming
by Manel Hmissi, Khawla Nsiri, Rihab Zagoub, Vicente Gimeno-Nieves, Abdelmajid Krouma, Mohamed Chaieb and Francisco García-Sánchez
Plants 2026, 15(7), 1103; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15071103 - 3 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 712
Abstract
Seed priming is a simple, economical, and sustainable technique capable of enhancing crop resilience to abiotic stresses. A plastic greenhouse experiment was conducted on the durum wheat cultivar, Karim, sown in a 375 L volume container under semi-controlled conditions. Plots were arranged in [...] Read more.
Seed priming is a simple, economical, and sustainable technique capable of enhancing crop resilience to abiotic stresses. A plastic greenhouse experiment was conducted on the durum wheat cultivar, Karim, sown in a 375 L volume container under semi-controlled conditions. Plots were arranged in a completely randomized design regarding treatments (control, salinity) and priming agents (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA; gibberellic acid, GA3; and salicylic acid, SA). Some physiological, biochemical, and morphometric traits were analyzed at vegetative and reproductive stages. The obtained results demonstrated that salinity stress reduced plant growth and the SPAD index, hampered photosynthetic efficiency through disrupted PSII integrity and energy management in the electron transfer chain, and significantly affected ear filling (EF) and grain caliber (marked by mean weight of 100 grains, MW100G). However, seed hormonal priming allowed the alleviation of salinity stress effects on durum wheat growth and yield. Although IAA and GA3 have shown significant potential in improving durum wheat tolerance to salinity, SA was found to be the most effective priming agent. It promotes the biosynthesis of chlorophyll pigments, restores the functional integrity of PSII, enhances photosynthetic efficiency, increases plant growth, and stimulates ear filling and wheat grain development. The principal component analysis demonstrated the interdependence of the vegetative and reproductive traits and presents SA as the most effective treatment that brings plants close to control conditions, despite the salinity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Hormones in Growth, Development, and Regeneration)
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24 pages, 4390 KB  
Article
Growth and Hormonal Responses to Salicylic Acid and Calcium Chloride Seed Priming in Domestic and Wild Salt-Tolerant Barley Species Under Saline Conditions
by Rim Ben Youssef, Nahida Jelali, Purificación Andrea Martínez-Melgarejo, Alfonso Albacete, Chedly Abdelly, Francisco Pérez-Alfocea and Cristina Martínez-Andújar
Plants 2026, 15(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010064 - 25 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1299
Abstract
Salinity is among the main abiotic constraints limiting crop productivity worldwide. Salt tolerance can be improved by introducing adaptive traits from wild species and enhancing pre-existing salt-adaptive mechanisms through priming. This study evaluated the beneficial effect of salicylic acid (SA, 1.25 mM) and [...] Read more.
Salinity is among the main abiotic constraints limiting crop productivity worldwide. Salt tolerance can be improved by introducing adaptive traits from wild species and enhancing pre-existing salt-adaptive mechanisms through priming. This study evaluated the beneficial effect of salicylic acid (SA, 1.25 mM) and calcium chloride (CaCl2, 5 mM) seed priming on plant growth under salinity in the domestic barley Hordeum vulgare (Hv) and the wild, salt-adapted Hordeum maritimum (Hm). Primed plants were grown under control, 100 and 200 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) for two weeks. Growth and hormone profiling were performed. Hv showed higher growth inhibition than Hm but was more responsive to stress alleviation by priming, particularly with SA, which increased biomass by up to 47% at 200 mM NaCl. The contrasting responses of both species reflected distinct hormonal strategies. The intrinsic salt tolerance of Hm appears linked to high constitutive levels of stress- and growth-related hormones. In Hv, growth recovery under salinity following priming was associated with hormonal reprogramming, involving reduced abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation and enhanced levels of growth-promoting hormones (indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), trans-zeatin (tZ), and isopentenyl adenine (iP)), especially in roots. Hormonal changes mediated by priming are analyzed in relation to adaptive growth responses and species’ ecological origins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Hormones in Growth, Development, and Regeneration)
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Review

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18 pages, 1250 KB  
Review
The Role of Endogenous Hormones in Regulating Early Development of Stone Fruit
by Shuning Zhang, Yali Sun, Xiaofeng Zhou and Zhiwei Deng
Plants 2026, 15(6), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060890 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 904
Abstract
Stone fruits, mainly represented by Prunus species, are economically important crops whose yield potential and final quality are largely determined during early fruit development. This early phase, encompassing pollination, fertilization, fruit set, cell division, and pit hardening, involves irreversible developmental decisions that govern [...] Read more.
Stone fruits, mainly represented by Prunus species, are economically important crops whose yield potential and final quality are largely determined during early fruit development. This early phase, encompassing pollination, fertilization, fruit set, cell division, and pit hardening, involves irreversible developmental decisions that govern fruit survival, size, and productivity. In this review, recent advances in endogenous hormonal regulation during early stone fruit development are synthesized, with emphasis on auxin, gibberellin (GA), cytokinin (CTK), and abscisic acid (ABA). Auxin and GA act as core growth-promoting signals that synergistically initiate fruit set, stimulate cell division and expansion, and support parthenocarpy development, while CTK reinforces early cell proliferation and contributes to final fruit size. In contrast, ABA primarily functions as a growth-inhibitory regulator, integrating developmental and environmental cues to promote fruit growth arrest and abscission under unfavorable conditions. These hormones interact through dynamic synergistic and antagonistic networks that are continuously reprogrammed across developmental stages and tissues. This review provides a regulatory framework for understanding hormone-mediated early fruit development in stone fruits and offers guidance for orchard management and future molecular breeding to stabilize fruit set and improve yield and quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Hormones in Growth, Development, and Regeneration)
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