About this Research Topic
Abiotic stress triggers complex physiological and biochemical responses in plants, including changes in nutrient transport and signaling, root morphology modifications, and shifts in stress-responsive gene expression. For example, drought reduces soil moisture availability, hindering nitrogen and potassium uptake, while salinity causes ionic imbalances that interfere with nutrient absorption and translocation. Advances in plant science, particularly high-throughput omics technologies and precise gene editing tools like CRISPR-Cas9, have deepened our understanding of the molecular and genetic bases of these stress responses. Current research is mapping comprehensive networks of nutrient uptake and stress response to reveal complex interactions at unprecedented resolution.
Understanding the interplay between nutrient uptake and abiotic stress is crucial for developing strategies to improve plant resilience and ensure sustainable agricultural practices. Research focuses on root traits, the microbiome, and signaling molecules in nutrient acquisition under stress. Additionally, machine learning and high-throughput phenotyping are used to predict and enhance plant performance under various environmental conditions.
This Research Topic aims to explore the interactions between plant nutrient uptake and abiotic stress. By understanding the genetic, molecular, and physiological mechanisms, we seek innovative solutions to enhance plant stress tolerance. We welcome submissions of all article types accepted in Frontiers in Plant Science. Contributors are encouraged to address themes such as:
• Physiological and biochemical responses to abiotic stress: Investigating the effects of drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and heavy metals on nutrient uptake and translocation.
• Mechanisms of nutrient uptake and transport under stress: Analyzing the impact of abiotic stress on root architecture and nutrient transport pathways.
• Genetic and molecular responses to abiotic stress: Identifying and characterizing genes involved in nutrient uptake and stress response and investigating the regulation of gene expression under stress conditions.
• Advanced biotechnological approaches: Employing high-throughput omics techniques to unravel the complexity of nutrient-stress interactions, utilizing tissue/cell type-specific single-cell transcriptomics and spatial multi-omics, and developing high-throughput phenotyping methods and machine learning models to predict stress responses and nutrient uptake efficiency.
• Application to sustainable agriculture: Exploring the potential of breeding and genetic engineering to develop stress-tolerant crop varieties, evaluating the ecological impact of improved nutrient uptake and stress tolerance on soil health and microbial communities, and developing practical strategies for implementing these findings in sustainable agricultural practices.
Keywords: nutrient uptake, abiotic stress, plant physiology, nutrient transport, genetic regulation, sustainable agriculture
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.