Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Plant Tolerance to Abiotic and Biotic Stresses and Ensuring Food Safety in Changing Climates

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change and population growth pose significant challenges to global food security, particularly with the world population expected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050. The increasing frequency of biotic and abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and emerging diseases, are threatening crop productivity and quality. This abstract highlights the urgent need to develop innovative and sustainable strategies to enhance stress tolerance in plants. Key approaches include genetic modification, microbial symbiosis, optimized water management strategies and/or techniques like drip irrigation, and sustainable soil management. Genetic engineering tools such as CRISPR can enhance plant resilience, while beneficial microorganisms may improve water uptake and nutrient absorption. Precision agriculture technologies can optimize water use, reduce waste, and improve crop efficiency. Moreover, addressing plant stresses requires a focus not only on crop yield but also on food quality, ensuring essential nutrients are retained even in stress conditions. Collaborative research efforts across different disciplines—plant physiology, genetics, agronomy, and environmental sciences—are essential to overcoming these challenges. This Research Topic calls on scientists to contribute to developing eco-friendly, innovative agricultural practices that will secure global food supplies and promote a sustainable agricultural future.

Call for Researchers to Join This Research Topic

Addressing the complex challenge of abiotic and abiotic stresses in plants, particularly drought stress, requires a multidisciplinary and collaborative effort from scientists around the world. Researchers specializing in plant physiology, genetics, molecular biology, agronomy, and environmental sciences must come together to share insights, innovations, and strategies that will help build a more resilient and sustainable global food system.

This Research Topic invites contributions that explore the novel approaches to enhancing plant tolerance to plant stresses. By investigating the physiological, molecular, and agronomic responses of plants to environmental stressors, we can develop actionable strategies to improve crop resilience and ensure food security for future generations. Whether through genetic engineering, microbial symbiosis, precision agriculture, or sustainable soil management, we must work together to push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation.

Join us in this critical effort to achieve a food-secure future in the face of climate change and population growth. Let us collectively shape a modern, eco-friendly, and sustainable agricultural landscape that ensures both productivity and environmental stewardship.

Dr. José Ramón Acosta-Motos
Dr. Sara Álvarez
Dr. María del Rosario Álvarez Morales
Dr. María José Clemente-Moreno
Dr. María del Rosario Conesa-Saura
Dr. Juan de Dios Franco-Navarro
Dr. María José Gómez-Bellot
Dr. Isabel M. Martínez Alcalá
Dr. Víctor Meseguer Sánchez
Topic Editors