About this Research Topic

Background

Nitrate is an essential element for plant nutrition and its application as fertilizer in agriculture is a common practice aiming at ensuring satisfactory development and yield. In the last decades, it appeared however that besides its nutritional role, nitrate is sensed by plants as a signal molecule involved in at least two types of actions: 1) a short term signaling role, named primary nitrate response (PNR) that results in hundreds of genes transcriptionally regulated by nitrate few minutes after its application, and; 2) a long term signaling role as evidenced by its effect on root architecture via local and systemic signaling pathways. Involvement of nitrate in plant response to biotic and abiotic stress is a long-lasting idea that was considered only from a nutritional angle where nitrate is seen either as a source of nutrients. With the advent of omics data, the idea of nitrate engaged in processes of plants health rather as a signaling molecule than as a nutrient emerged and is supported by increasing evidence.

Strategies of plants to fight for survival under adverse conditions are well studied. They appear to be organized in cascades of molecular events that generally start with the recognition of the nature of the stress by receptors. Further steps depend on the production of signaling molecules like, GABA and salicylic acid or hormones such as ABA, ethylene, and jasmonic acid that trigger the activation of specific defense pathways. In the case of microbial biotic stress, defense strategies involve genes belonging to families like pathogen-related (PR), antifungal plant defensin family (PDF), and more generally genes involved in phytoalexins biosynthesis. In the case of abiotic stress (osmotic, drought, salt, hypoxia, heat, etc), besides metabolic response, defense strategies involve the modulation of plant architecture particularly root system architecture (RSA). As nitrate supply affects both, sensitivity to disease and architecture, the question is how nitrate interfere in this well-organized defense machinery? Nitrate interference is probably complex and specific. For instance, disease severity may be linked to either increasing or decreasing N fertilizer depending on the pathosystem. As to RSA, the action of nitrate is known to depend on whether it is homogeneously distributed in the rhizosphere or coming as rich patches.

We propose a research topic to bring together research or review articles dealing with the latest knowledge advances on the impact of nitrate on plant response to biotic and abiotic stress. We bring below, as examples, a non-exhaustive list of themes that will be covered in the present issue:

- Modulation of disease severity and plant defense system triggered by nitrate as a signal molecule. Unraveling crosstalk between signaling pathways triggered by nitrate on one hand and, on the other hand, signaling molecules or hormones produced by the host in response to pathogen attack.

- Modulation of the adaptive response to abiotic stress (osmotic, drought, salt, hypoxia, heat, etc) by nitrate as a signal molecule. Unraveling crosstalk between signaling pathways triggered by nitrate on one hand and, on the other hand, signaling molecules or hormones produced under the abiotic stress of interest.

- Modulation of biotic or abiotic severity and plant defense system by plant nitrogen status that is affected by nitrate supply and metabolism.

- Quantitative genetic approaches for detection of QTLs and candidate genes of importance in the interaction between nitrate nutrition and plant defense system against biotic and abiotic stress.

- Consideration of the effect of nitrate fertilizer on crop health studied from an agronomic aspect with interest in whole plant growth and yield.

Please note that descriptive studies and those defining gene families or descriptive collection of transcripts, proteins, or metabolites, will not be considered for review unless they are expanded and provide mechanistic and/or physiological insights into the biological system or process being studied.

Keywords: nitrate, biotic stress, abiotic stress, nutrition, nitrogen, signaling

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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