Dear Colleagues,

The development of photosynthesis, global biogeochemical processes and the origination, diversification and extinction of plant species are inextricably linked throughout Earth’s history. The selective pressures exerted by environmental change have influenced the development of photosynthesis and plants. In turn, the land, sea and atmosphere have been shaped by photosynthesis. Alongside photosynthesis, associated biochemical processes, such as secondary metabolism (e.g., phenylpropanoids, carotenoids, volatile isoprenoids) and plant signalling (e.g., volatile organic compounds emitted from plants under stressful conditions), have developed to protect, maintain and regulate the photosynthetic physiology to optimise carbon uptake.

Variations in the temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall, increased temperatures, rising atmospheric (CO₂), pollution and population growth exert pressures on plant growth. As photosynthesis underpins ecosystem function and food security, adaptation and mitigation of the negative impacts of these pressures is essential. However, the current rate of climate change (often compounded by localised effects of urbanisation/industrialisation) is more rapid than at any time during Earth’s history. Crucially, this rate of environmental change exceeds both the capacity of plant species to adapt through natural selection and capabilities of plant phenotyping/breeding programs to identify new productive and resistant varieties. The identification and characterisation of adaptive physiological and morphological traits that confer resistance to these abiotic pressures will play a key-role in the development of photosynthesis to address the key challenges of climate change and population growth in the next 50 to 100 years. The Special Issue will cover plant responses to abiotic pressures such as drought, rising (CO₂), pollution and temperature stress. The impact of these pressures in natural, agricultural and urban environments on plant secondary metabolism, hormones, chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange, photosynthetic physiology and stomatal behaviour is fundamental to our understanding of the capacity of plants to adapt to a changing world.

Dr. Cecilia Brunetti
Dr. Matthew Haworth
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• photosynthesis
• drought
• atmospheric (CO₂)
• abiotic stresses
• stomatal control
• plant hormones
• secondary metabolism
• reactive oxygen species (ROS)