Flavonoids are a kind of important secondary metabolite synthesized by plants. Flavonols, flavanones, isoflavones, and anthocyanins all belong to the group of flavonoids. Flavonoids play a variety of biological functions in plants. More than anthocyanins pigments displaying red, blue, and purple, they play an important role in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. For example, flavonoid compounds play prominent roles in protecting the photosynthetic machinery of plants exposed to an excess of light (especially UV-B), binding various heavy metals and sequestering the toxic elements, as well as exhibiting the osmotic adjustment to remain turgid in plant cells under low water availability, and enhancing the efficiency of nutrient retrieval during senescence. The flavonoids have important therapeutic properties and are useful for developing functional foods. A series of flavonoid subgroups such as proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonols, flavones, flavanones, and isoflavones have been recognized in over 500 food items by the US Department of Agriculture as dietary flavonoids, with consistent evidence of beneficial effects on human health.

Overall, flavonoids play a vital role in many plant physiological processes and work as an antioxidant when plants encounter abiotic stresses. A diverse array of flavonoids in higher plants have evolved to adapt against various environmental pressures based on their physiological and ecological functions. Therefore, a growing and comprehensive insight are needed to understand in-depth and genetic manipulation of biosynthesis of anthocyanin and the other flavonoids to enhance antioxidant capacity and stress tolerance of plants, as well as to generate a novelty of colors and health value of food.

This Research Topic will focus on progress on the function and role of flavonoids in plants encountering abiotic stresses, and the genetic engineering for manipulation of the flavonoids biosynthesis pathways to enhance flavonoid content and the abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants.

－ Germplasm screening for flavonoids and their derivatives in crops.
－ The biological function of anthocyanins and the other flavonoid metabolites in abiotic stress tolerance in plants.
－ Identification of genes involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, and the interaction of proteins and regulatory networks, in plant flavonoid biosynthesis.
－ This research topic will systematically display the recent scientific advances in understanding morphology, physiology and biochemistry, expression and expression regulation of genes, and evaluating the function of flavonoids in plant stress tolerance, as well as emphasizing the novel molecular mechanisms underlying flavonoid biosynthesis in plants, and the adapted evolution of various flavonoids to abiotic stress environments.
－ We are interested in the novel findings that will help to understand genetic determinants including the genes and QTLs in plant flavonoid biosynthesis by introducing these novel genes and regulators to plants, especially the crops, and evaluating their value for crop breeding in abiotic stress tolerance.

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Frontiers in Plant Science

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