Md Sazzad Hossain
Pedro Garcia Caparros3
Karl Hermann Mühling- 1Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- 2Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
- 3University of Almeria, Almería, Spain
Editorial on the Research Topic
Mineral nutrition and plant stress tolerance
The provision of so-called global food safety and security is threatened by global warming, climate change, and the increasing food demand for an ever-growing human population (Berkhout et al., 2019; Sun and Weaver, 2020; Dobermann et al., 2022). Improper plant nutritional management reduces crop production and quality becomes a vital global concern affecting billions of people worldwide (Kumssa et al., 2015; Hofmann et al., 2020; Dobermann et al., 2022). Any stress (biotic or abiotic) can disrupt plant metabolism and lead to reduced growth, fitness, and productivity (Hossain and Dietz, 2016; Ahmed et al., 2020). Understanding crop physiological and biochemical responses to adverse environmental conditions is critical (Bashir et al., 2021). Mineral nutrition is one of the most effective ways to reduce various stresses in crops to increase yield and quality. It plays a crucial role in the response of plants to both biotic and abiotic stresses (Marschner and Cakmak, 1989; Cakmak, 2005; Waraich et al., 2011; Marschner, 2012; Elmer and Datnoff, 2014; Cabot et al., 2019; Sarwar et al., 2019; Kumari et al., 2022). Interactions between mineral elements and biotic and abiotic stress responses are important for developing strategies to improve crop productivity and quality in stressed environments. Proper nutrient management can effectively mitigate the adverse effects of different stresses through diversified mechanisms (Shoukat et al., 2024a, b; Waraich et al., 2011; Mannan et al., 2022; Van Nguyen et al., 2022; Chowdhury et al., 2024).
Although considerable progress has been made in plant nutrition and stress tolerance many aspects of plant nutrition remain unknown. However, more extensive efforts are required to understand better the relationship between mineral elements and plant stress tolerance. Mechanisms underlying the role of mineral nutrition and its interactions with plants are proposed in this Research Topic, comprising diverse research articles, including two reviews and seven original research papers.
Nitrogen metabolism in crops is crucial for various physiological processes and plant growth, especially in staple crops like tea. In this review, Zhang et al. summarized the current information on the underlying mechanisms to identify key regulators in functional phenotypes and improve nitrogen use efficiency. The review highlighted the significance of ammonium as the primary nitrogen source. The biological and molecular mechanisms underlying the GS-GOGAT pathway, including nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NiR), glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate synthase (GOGAT), and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), were also explained in detail.
Phan et al. conducted a genome-wide association study to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in rice under saline conditions. The research involved 2,391 rice accessions grown under two nitrogen conditions and two NaCl concentrations to assess dry weight. A total of 55 QTLs associated with the evaluated traits were identified, with 28 being novel discoveries. These findings offer valuable genetic resources for improving NUE in rice, particularly in saline environments.
Sugar and acid metabolism are pivotal in tomato development and fruit quality, necessitating further investigation into the underlying transcripts, particularly under high temperature and nitrogen fertilizer conditions. Zheng et al. reported that both conditions elevated the levels of soluble sugars and organic acids in young tomato fruits. Additionally, the study identified several genes involved in sucrose metabolism (CWINV2, HK2, SPS, PK) and sucrose transporters (SUT1, SUT4, SWEETs).
Chen et al. experimented to discern the main physiological and molecular mechanisms of Acacia melanoxylon stem in response to boron deficiency. Under boron-deficit conditions, stem growth was reduced with shortened internodes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that genes linked to cell wall metabolism and structural components were downregulated. Furthermore, additional genes linked to hormone signaling showed significant alterations.
Moradi and Siosemardeh investigated the influence of seed priming and foliar application of various chemical fertilizers on rainfed wheat. Their study demonstrated that combining these application methods significantly enhanced the physiological and yield traits of the wheat. This information is crucial for growers seeking to improve plant growth and yield under drought-stressed conditions.
The review by Mukarram et al. focused on the interaction between silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) and trace elements (TEs) toxicity. The authors emphasize exploring this interaction from an omics perspective, encompassing plant metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics. Furthermore, the review delves into the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying this interaction.
Pitann and Mühling examined the waterlogging resistance of oat at various developmental stages as an alternative for crop rotation in regions with temporary submergence. Their findings revealed that while late waterlogging negatively impacted the vegetative phase, it led to improved performance in the generative phase, resulting in increased grain yield. In contrast, early waterlogging severely affected oat performance during vegetative and generative phases.
Delgado et al. assessed the facilitation effects of Gevuina avellana, an aluminum hyperaccumulator, on the seedling growth and performance of Vaccinium corymbosum, a plant sensitive to aluminum intolerance and phosphorus deficiency, in soils supplemented with varying aluminum doses. The results indicated that co-cultivation with G. avellana ameliorated the growth conditions for V. corymbosum, highlighting the beneficial influence of G. avellana.
Luo et al. investigated the role of SPX-domain-containing proteins (SPXs) in phosphorus homeostasis in maize, with a particular emphasis on ZmSPX1. Their study demonstrated that overexpressed lines exhibited increased root sensitivity to both phosphorus deficiency and high-phosphorus conditions. These findings hold significant implications for enhancing phosphorus efficiency in maize breeding programs.
In conclusion, the articles included in this Research Topic contribute to our understanding of the efficacy of various nutrients in alleviating diverse stresses and plant nutrient relations, while illustrating the need for more such research. A better understanding of different nutrient elements could lead to more rational fertilizing practices, avoiding interactions that could contribute to the unbalanced mineral nutrition of plants for maximizing crop yield. This knowledge is also necessary to obtain more efficient genotypes in the acquisition of different nutrients.
Author contributions
MH: Conceptualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. PG: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. KM: Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.
Acknowledgments
MH greatly acknowledges the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), Germany.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.
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Keywords: plants, mineral elements, abiotic stress, biotic stress, plant physiology and biochemistry, nutrient deficiency and toxicity
Citation: Hossain MS, Garcia Caparros P and Mühling KH (2024) Editorial: Mineral nutrition and plant stress tolerance. Front. Plant Sci. 15:1461651. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1461651
Received: 08 July 2024; Accepted: 12 July 2024;
Published: 25 July 2024.
Edited and Reviewed by:
Marta Wilton Vasconcelos, Catholic University of Portugal, PortugalCopyright © 2024 Hossain, Garcia Caparros and Mühling. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Md Sazzad Hossain, sazzadmh.aha@sau.ac.bd; Karl Hermann Mühling, khmuehling@plantnutrition.uni-kiel.de