Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress II

Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic stress is a major problem for agriculture, affecting the growth and productivity of plants. Environmental stress factors such as drought, salinity, low and high temperature, UV radiation, and high light are the main reasons behind the reduction in crop yields and food production worldwide. Therefore, the study of the physiological and molecular mechanisms of plant responses to abiotic stress alone or in combination, as well as the search for tolerant crop varieties, is one of the most active research fields in the plant biology. Efforts are focused on the study of morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses, as well as the mechanisms of plant protection against these stresses. As photosynthesis is the main driving force for plant growth and crop yields, many studies investigate the stress responses of the photosynthetic apparatus. Photosynthesis is also the primary physiological process affected by abiotic stresses in all its phases. Under most abiotic stresses, an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (¹O₂, O₂^• –, H₂O₂, OH^•) occurs that can lead to oxidative stress. However, these oxidative signals that result from photosynthesis not only provide cells with tools to monitor electron transport and thus prevent over-reduction or over-oxidation but also produce redox regulatory networks that facilitate plants to sense and respond to abiotic stress conditions.

Under various stress factors, plants must adapt by adjusting their physiology mechanisms to these adverse conditions. All this requires a selection process and provides a great opportunity to find the appropriate combinations of genes and phenotypes that are tolerant to various environmental factors. Analyzing the effects of abiotic stress factors, alone or in combination, on different crops and/or their tolerant lines is extremely important for studying plant response mechanisms. This knowledge should help to develop sustainable and better adapted plant lines to stress conditions in a global warming and pollution scenario.

Research on all topics related to understanding the molecular mechanism of abiotic stress responses of crop plants, different cultivars, hybrids, and genotypes will be welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Anelia Dobrikova
Prof. Dr. Michael Moustakas
Guest Editors

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