Due to their sessile nature, plants are subject to various stresses that often affect their growth and development to varying degrees. These stresses are broadly classified into several categories, such as physical, chemical, and biological. Physical stresses include heat damage, cold damage, drought, waterlogging, insufficient or excessive light, etc. Chemical stresses include deficiencies or excesses of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other micronutrient elements, high or low pH, salinity, pesticides and other chemical reactions detrimental to plants. Biological stresses involve pathogens, pests and herbivores. After initial exposure or perception of these stressors, many signalling pathways are activated to transduce stress signals and prepare plants to respond to stressful conditions. Signals generated in these pathways include several phytohormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), second messengers such as calcium (Ca2+), and a large number of signalling proteins such as receptors, kinases, phosphatases, transcription factors, channels and transporters, etc.
Extensive studies have been carried out in the model plant Arabidopsis to understand the role of some of these components in stress perception, signalling and response generation for adaptation or tolerance under specific stresses. However, the functions of many stress signalling components have not been fully characterised, and the mechanisms of stress signal transduction in non-model plants need to be further explored. In addition, there is a need to use the current knowledge to develop climate-resilient crop plants. With advanced genetic and genome engineering tools, it is possible to modify the stress signalling pathways to develop crop varieties that can grow and reproduce in stressed environments without losing crop productivity and yield. Therefore, there is enormous scope and potential for understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms of stress signalling in crop plants.
This Research Topic aims to collect scientific findings on plant stress signalling and adaptation from leading plant biologists worldwide. This includes the identification of response molecules of different plants under various types of stresses, the functional analysis of essential signal transduction proteins, and the study of multiple products that play key roles in the stabilisation of cell function under stressful environments. To better cope with the global food supply deficit, we particularly welcome research on essential crop plants, including rice, wheat, maize, soybean, barley, and other food crops. We hope this Research Topic will provide a communication platform for most plant stress resistance researchers and provide a specific holistic basis for crop stress resistance research and screening of new stress-resistant varieties in the near future.
We welcome the submission of different article types, including original research papers, methods, reviews/mini-reviews, commentaries, and perspectives on the following subtopics but not limited to:
• Signal transduction pathways in crops
• Plant signalling in response to different stresses, including heat, drought, salt, etc.
• Molecular stress resistance mechanisms
• Functional genomics related to abiotic stress resistance genes
• Genetic manipulation for stress resistance traits in crops
Due to their sessile nature, plants are subject to various stresses that often affect their growth and development to varying degrees. These stresses are broadly classified into several categories, such as physical, chemical, and biological. Physical stresses include heat damage, cold damage, drought, waterlogging, insufficient or excessive light, etc. Chemical stresses include deficiencies or excesses of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other micronutrient elements, high or low pH, salinity, pesticides and other chemical reactions detrimental to plants. Biological stresses involve pathogens, pests and herbivores. After initial exposure or perception of these stressors, many signalling pathways are activated to transduce stress signals and prepare plants to respond to stressful conditions. Signals generated in these pathways include several phytohormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), second messengers such as calcium (Ca2+), and a large number of signalling proteins such as receptors, kinases, phosphatases, transcription factors, channels and transporters, etc.
Extensive studies have been carried out in the model plant Arabidopsis to understand the role of some of these components in stress perception, signalling and response generation for adaptation or tolerance under specific stresses. However, the functions of many stress signalling components have not been fully characterised, and the mechanisms of stress signal transduction in non-model plants need to be further explored. In addition, there is a need to use the current knowledge to develop climate-resilient crop plants. With advanced genetic and genome engineering tools, it is possible to modify the stress signalling pathways to develop crop varieties that can grow and reproduce in stressed environments without losing crop productivity and yield. Therefore, there is enormous scope and potential for understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms of stress signalling in crop plants.
This Research Topic aims to collect scientific findings on plant stress signalling and adaptation from leading plant biologists worldwide. This includes the identification of response molecules of different plants under various types of stresses, the functional analysis of essential signal transduction proteins, and the study of multiple products that play key roles in the stabilisation of cell function under stressful environments. To better cope with the global food supply deficit, we particularly welcome research on essential crop plants, including rice, wheat, maize, soybean, barley, and other food crops. We hope this Research Topic will provide a communication platform for most plant stress resistance researchers and provide a specific holistic basis for crop stress resistance research and screening of new stress-resistant varieties in the near future.
We welcome the submission of different article types, including original research papers, methods, reviews/mini-reviews, commentaries, and perspectives on the following subtopics but not limited to:
• Signal transduction pathways in crops
• Plant signalling in response to different stresses, including heat, drought, salt, etc.
• Molecular stress resistance mechanisms
• Functional genomics related to abiotic stress resistance genes
• Genetic manipulation for stress resistance traits in crops
