Crop Stress Physiology and Nutrient Management

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 928

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Crop Science, State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana 79200-000, MS, Brazil
Interests: plant ecophysiology; physiology of agricultural crops; abiotic stress; tolerance induction; plant mineral nutrition; nutrient cycling; nanofertilizers; biofertilizers; stress-tolerant cultivars; climate change

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Ingenierías, Tecnológico Nacional de México (TecNM), Instituto Tecnológico del Valle del Yaqui, Bácum 85276, Sonora, Mexico
Interests: plant biochemistry; cellular and molecular biology; plant physiology and climate change

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Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, State University of Maranhão, Balsas 65800-000, MA, Brazil
Interests: plant ecophysiology; physiology of agricultural crops; abiotic stress; tolerance induction; plant mineral nutrition; biofertilizers; stress-tolerant cultivars; climate change; seed production technology; weeds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Stress physiology and nutrient management of agricultural crops are crucial research areas for sustainable agriculture, especially in the face of climate change. Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, nutrient deficiency, aluminum toxicity, heavy metals, low temperatures and high temperatures pose enormous challenges to global food production. Adverse environmental conditions directly affect photosynthesis, plant growth and reproduction, and can drastically reduce crop productivity. In turn, optimized nutrient management (macro and micronutrients) helps plants tolerate abiotic stresses by regulating processes such as membrane stability, enzymatic activity, physiological, biochemical, molecular and antioxidant metabolism. Furthermore, nutritional stress conditions cause changes in root architecture and in the expression of nutrient transport genes. Therefore, understanding how plants respond to different abiotic stresses and how to optimize mineral nutrition can lead to more efficient and resilient agricultural practices.

This special issue covers all types of scientific research articles that explore stress physiology, nutrient management, plant responses and adaptations, and the impacts of climate change on agricultural crops, using a wide range of physiological, morphological, genetic, biochemical, and molecular approaches.

Prof. Dr. Fábio Steiner
Dr. Leandris Martínez
Dr. Alan Mario Zuffo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant ecophysiology
  • abiotic stress
  • plant nutrition
  • nutrient uptake
  • nutrient deficiency
  • nutrient-use efficiency (NUE)
  • stress tolerance
  • drought stress
  • heat stress
  • salinity stress
  • oxidative stress
  • aluminum toxicity
  • multiple stresses
  • photosynthetic efficiency
  • antioxidant enzymes
  • root architecture
  • signal transduction
  • gene expression under stress
  • fertilizer optimization
  • biofortification
  • soil fertility
  • plant growth regulators
  • climate resilience in crops

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1297 KB  
Article
Carbon Nanoparticles Enhance Drought Tolerance Through the Improvement of Morphological and Physiological Traits in Maize Hybrids
by Jiovana Kamila Vilas Boas, Fábio Steiner, Gilciany Ribeiro Soares, Jorge González Aguilera, Alan Mario Zuffo, Ofelda Peñuelas-Rubio, Leandris Argentel-Martínez and Ugur Azizoglu
Plants 2026, 15(8), 1185; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15081185 - 12 Apr 2026
Viewed by 479
Abstract
Drought stress severely limits maize growth and productivity worldwide. In this study, we examined the effects of foliar-applied carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) on morphological and physiological traits in maize plants exposed to drought stress for 25 days. Two maize hybrids, one drought-tolerant (LG 36745 [...] Read more.
Drought stress severely limits maize growth and productivity worldwide. In this study, we examined the effects of foliar-applied carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) on morphological and physiological traits in maize plants exposed to drought stress for 25 days. Two maize hybrids, one drought-tolerant (LG 36745 PRO4) and one drought-sensitive (AG 8088 PRO2), were fertilized with 0 or 1.0 mL L−1 of a CNP-based nanofertilizer at the V2 growth stage and exposed to three drought levels: 0 MPa (control), −0.4 MPa (moderate stress), and −0.8 MPa (severe stress). The experiment followed a 2 × 2 × 3 factorial design (hybrid × CNP treatment × drought level) with four replicates. Results indicated that drought stress adversely affected most morphological and physiological traits, particularly in the drought-sensitive hybrid. However, foliar CNP application significantly alleviated the adverse effects of drought in maize plants under moderate and severe stress, primarily by preserving plant water status, enhancing water use efficiency, carboxylation efficiency, photosynthetic rate, and initial growth in challenging environments. These findings will provide the basis for future research on management practices adopted to control drought and ensure the development of modern and sustainable agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Stress Physiology and Nutrient Management)
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