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Special Issue "Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival"

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A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Biotic and Abiotic Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2024 | Viewed by 13202

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Amith R. Devireddy

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Guest Editor

Plant Systems Biology, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
Interests: plant physiology; abiotic stress; stomata; secondary metabolites; reactive oxygen species; signal transduction; photosynthesis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants, being sessile organisms, need to adapt to and survive harsh environmental conditions. These include extreme climates, drought, high temperatures, high light, heavy metals and nutrient deficiency. These conditions, individually or in combination, cause a significant loss in crop yield and quality.

Studies using model plants suggest that plants could coordinate different signal transduction pathways to sense and respond to stress. As part of these stress response mechanisms, some other changes include (i) changes at the cellular, molecular, or biochemical level, (ii) changes in secondary metabolite production such as ROS, NO, hormones, etc., and/or (iii) other physiological modifications such as leaf anatomy, stomatal responses, etc. These modifications help alter the rate and efficiency of plant metabolism and photosynthesis, thus helping plants to adapt to and survive stressful environments. However, how these events or mechanisms are coordinated in the crop or horticultural plants is still not completely known. Hence, a deeper understanding of these action mechanisms is required. The probable outcomes from these studies can be used in the plant biotechnology industry to not only develop stress-tolerant crops, but also help overcome plant-species-specific or region-specific environmental challenges.

In this context, this Special Issue aims to is highlight potential research outcomes that may lead to a deeper understanding of the plant's responses, adaptation, and survival to abiotic stresses. This issue will focus on the cellular, molecular, physiological, or any other mechanisms used by plants to recognize and respond to diverse abiotic stresses and their combinations. Papers addressing specific abiotic stress are also welcomed. This Special Issue will accept original research papers, methods, reviews, and perspectives.

Dr. Amith R. Devireddy
Guest Editor

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. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2000 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.

Keywords

abiotic stress
physiology
adaptation and survival
signal transduction
secondary metabolites
phytohormones
gene expression
photosynthesis
tolerance
resistance

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Sodium Silicate Improves Cucumber Seedling Growth and Substrate Nutrients and Reduces Heavy Metal Accumulation in Plants

and

Horticulturae 2023, 9(9), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9090988 (registering DOI) - 01 Sep 2023

Abstract

The gasification filter cake (GFC) has great application potential for improving the characteristics of seedling substrates due to its nutrient richness and excellent water retention capacity. However, GFCs leach heavy metals easily and thus pose certain ecological risks. Sodium silicate can enhance plant resistance to heavy metal toxicity by fixing heavy metals. This study investigated the impact of sodium silicate on cucumber plant growth, the chemical characterization of the substrate, and the distribution and transfer of heavy metals. Sodium silicate was added to the seedling substrate mix at mass rates of 0 g/kg⁻¹ (GFC0), 2 g/kg⁻¹ (GFC2), 4 g/kg⁻¹ (GFC4), and 8 g/kg⁻¹ (GFC8). The seedling substrate was composed of a commercial matrix, caragana compost, and GFC (m:m 7:7:2). The GFC increased the content of total phosphorus (P), available phosphorus (P), and available potassium (K) in the substrate by 31.58%, 16.58%, and 80.10%, respectively. Conversely, the GFC decreased the plant height by 12.3%. Adding sodium silicate to the GFC increased the chlorophyll content of the plants, fixed heavy metals in the substrate, and promoted nutrient absorption and utilization by the plants. Compared with GFC0 without sodium silicate, adding sodium silicate at a mass rate of 2 g/kg⁻¹ (GFC2) reduced the chromium, lead, and cadmium contents by 51.13%, 26.37%, and 90.04%, respectively, which effectively alleviated heavy metal stress and was more conducive to plant growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival)

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Open AccessArticle

Mitigation of Salinity Stress on Pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cv. Wonderful) Plant Using Salicylic Acid Foliar Spray

Hoda A. Khalil

Diaa O. El-Ansary

and

Zienab F. R. Ahmed

Horticulturae 2022, 8(5), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8050375 - 25 Apr 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2155

Abstract

Salt stress significantly impacts plant morphological structure and physiological processes, resulting in decreased plant growth. Salicylic acid (SA) is a key signal molecule that protects plants from the negative impacts of salinity. Under natural conditions, the pomegranate plant generally exhibits salt-tolerant characteristics. The objective of this study was to elucidate the salt-tolerance level of pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cv. Wonderful) and the effect of the regulating strategy of SA foliar spray on growth, morphological structure, and physiological processes. SA levels were 0, 0.25, 0.50, and 1 mM in the presence of salinity levels of 10, 35, and 70 mM NaCl, respectively. Vegetative growth indices, including stem cross-sectional area, leaf area, and total dry weight, were lowered by salinity treatments. However, SA applications greatly improved morphological characteristics and plant growth under salt stress. The effects of salinity were effectively reversed by SA treatment at 1 mM compared to control and other treatments. Interestingly, SA applications enhanced the chlorophyll, total phenolic, carbohydrate, and proline contents of leaves while decreasing electrolyte leakage (EL), Na, and Cl levels. Moreover, the foliar SA treatments enhanced the nutrient content in the leaves and increased the activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), with a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) content. This study suggests that the alleviation of the salinity stress by SA may be due to the activation of the antioxidant enzymatic mechanism and decrease in the lipid peroxidation of the pomegranate plant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival)

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Open AccessArticle

Integrative Seed and Leaf Treatment with Ascorbic Acid Extends the Planting Period by Improving Tolerance to Late Sowing Influences in Parsley

Mohamed E. El-Sharnouby

Khalid H. Alamer

Esmat F. Ali

and

Alaa I. B. Abou-Sreea

Horticulturae 2022, 8(4), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8040334 - 15 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1404

Abstract

Abnormal production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an undesirable event which occurs in plants due to stress. To meet this event, plants synthesize ROS-neutralizing compounds, including the non-enzymatic oxidant scavenger known as vitamin C: ascorbic acid (AsA). In addition to scavenging ROS, AsA modulates many vital functions in stressed or non-stressed plants. Thus, two-season (2018/2019 and 2019/2020) trials were conducted to study the effect of integrative treatment (seed soaking + foliar spray) using 1.0 or 2.0 mM AsA vs. distilled water (control) on the growth, seed yield, and oil yield of parsley plants under three sowing dates (SDs; November, December, and January, which represent adverse conditions of late sowing) vs. October as the optimal SD (control). The ion balance, osmotic-modifying compounds, and different antioxidants were also studied. The experimental layout was a split plot in a completely randomized block design. Late sowing (December and January) noticeably reduced growth traits, seed and oil yield components, and chlorophyll and nutrient contents. However, soluble sugar, proline, and AsA contents were significantly increased along with the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Under late sowing conditions, the use of AsA significantly increased growth, different yields, essential oil fractions, CAT and SOD activities, and contents of chlorophylls, nutrients, soluble sugars, free proline, and AsA. The interaction treatments of SDs and AsA concentrations indicated that AsA at a concentration of 2 mM was more efficient in conferring greater tolerance to adverse conditions of late sowing in parsley plants. Therefore, this study recommends 2.0 mM AsA for integrative (seed soaking + foliar spraying) treatment to prolong the sowing period of parsley seeds (from October up to December) and avoid damage caused by adverse conditions of late sowing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival)

Open AccessArticle

Physiological Response to Short-Term Heat Stress in the Leaves of Traditional and Modern Plum (Prunus domestica L.) Cultivars

Marija Viljevac Vuletić

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Horticulturae 2022, 8(1), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8010072 - 13 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1861

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate physiological responses to short-term heat stress in the leaves of traditional (Bistrica) and modern (Toptaste) plum cultivars. In this study, detached plum leaves were incubated at 25 °C (control) and 40 °C (stress). After 1 h of exposure to heat (40 °C), chlorophyll a fluorescence transients were measured, and several biochemical parameters were analyzed. Elevated temperature caused heat stress in both plum cultivars, seen as a decrease in water content (WT), but in the leaves of the cultivar Bistrica, an accumulation of proline and phenols, as well as an accumulation of photosynthetic pigments, suggest the activation of a significant response to unfavorable conditions. Conversely, in the leaves of Toptaste, a significant accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and an activation of guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD), all together with a decreased soluble proteins content, indicate an inadequate response to maintaining homeostasis in the leaf metabolism. The impact of an elevated temperature on photosynthesis was significant in both plum cultivars as reflected in the decrease in performance indexes (PI_ABS and PI_total) and the maximum quantum yield of PSII (F_v/F_m), with significantly pronounced changes found in Toptaste. Unlike the traditional plum cultivar, Bistrica, in the modern cultivar, Toptaste, short-term heat stress increased the minimal fluorescence (F₀) and absorption (ABS/RC), as well as Chl b in total chlorophylls. Additionally, the inactivation of RCs (RC/ABS) suggests that excitation energy was not trapped efficiently in the electron chain transport, which resulted in stronger dissipation (DI₀/RC) and the formation of ROSs. Considering all presented results, it can be presumed that the traditional cultivar Bistrica has better tolerance to heat stress than the modern cultivar Toptaste. The cultivar, Bistrica, can be used as a basis in further plum breeding programs, as a source of tolerance for high temperature stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival)

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Open AccessArticle

Mechanisms of Nitric Oxide in the Regulation of Chilling Stress Tolerance in Camellia sinensis

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Horticulturae 2021, 7(10), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7100410 - 16 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1759

Abstract

Tea [Camellia sinensis (L.)] plants are important economic crop in China. Chilling stress and freezing damages have seriously affected the quality of tea products that have been already regarded as the main restricting factors to industry’s development. Nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in resistance of abiotic stresses. An experiment was conducted in an artificial climate chamber to study the effect of NO on tea plants grown under chilling stress (−2 °C) for 0, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h. Foliar application of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) at a rate of 500 μmol·L⁻¹ was used as NO donor. The experiment contained two factors: the first was the foliar application with SNP or distilled water, and the scond one was the chilling (−2 °C) exposure time (0, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h). The effects of NO on membrane lipid peroxidation, osmotic adjustment substances, and antioxidant activity under cold stress were studied. In addition, the gene expression of CsICE1 and CsCBF1 in respond to NO addition were also investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results show that foliar addition of NO (500 μmol·L⁻¹ of SNP) reduce the relative conductivity of tea leaves, inhibits the elevated malondialdehyde content, promotes the accumulation of proline, soluble protein and sugar, and increases the superoxide dismutase, catalase activities, thereby alleviates the damage of cold stress on tea leaves. The CsICE1 expression in 500 μM SNP treatment was peaked at 24 h of low temperature stress, while it did not express at normal temperature. Therefore, the current study is considered a good scientific material in understanding how tea plants sense and defense the chilling stress and that plays an important role to improve the level of production and economic benefits. It is also provided significant theory bas to control chilling stress in tea plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival)

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Open AccessArticle

Heat Stress at Early Reproductive Stage Differentially Alters Several Physiological and Biochemical Traits of Three Tomato Cultivars

Abul Khayer Mohammad Golam Sarwar

Omar M. Ali

Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef

and

Akbar Hossain

Horticulturae 2021, 7(10), 330; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7100330 - 22 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2689

Abstract

Global warming is predicted to be increased in the upcoming years, resulting in frequent heatwaves or hot days worldwide, which can seriously affect crop growth and productivity. The responses of heat stress to several photophysiological and biochemical traits in three tomato cultivars were investigated in a pot experiment, and the heat tolerance capability of these cultivars was evaluated based on the investigated traits. The experiment was followed by a factorial completely randomized design, and the factors were (i) tomato cultivars (BARI Hybrid Tomato-5, BARI Tomato-14, and BARI Tomato-15) and (ii) heat stress (control and heat). The plants of three tomato cultivars were exposed to short-term heat stress (four days at 38/25 °C day/night temperature) at the flowering stage. The measured traits such as dry mass, leaf greenness (SPAD), maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (F_v/F_m), photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration rate (E), leaf chlorophyll, and carotenoid content were significantly declined, while the catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities were increased by heat stress in all three tomato cultivars except BARI Tomato-15, which showed unaltered g_s, E, and carotenoids. The percent reduction (over control) in SPAD, F_v/F_m, A, total chlorophyll, and total carotenoids was significantly lower (11, 06, 25, 34, and 19%, respectively), whereas the percent increase in catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities was substantially higher (70 and 72%, respectively) in BARI Tomato-15 than in other cultivars. Based on the measured physiological and biochemical traits, the cultivar BARI Tomato-15 showed better heat tolerance than the other cultivars. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Individual and Interactive Effects of Elevated Ozone and Temperature on Plant Responses

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Horticulturae 2022, 8(3), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8030211 - 28 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2118

Abstract

From the preindustrial era to the present day, the tropospheric ozone (O₃) concentration has increased dramatically in much of the industrialized world due to anthropogenic activities. O₃ is the most harmful air pollutant to plants. Global surface temperatures are expected to increase with rising O₃ concentration. Plants are directly affected by temperature and O₃. Elevated O₃ can impair physiological processes, as well as cause the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to decreased plant growth. Temperature is another important factor influencing plant development. Here, we summarize how O₃ and temperature elevation can affect plant physiological and biochemical characteristics, and discuss results from studies investigating plant responses to these factors. In this review, we focused on the interactions between elevated O₃ and temperature on plant responses, because neither factor acts independently. Temperature has great potential to significantly influence stomatal movement and O₃ uptake. For this reason, the combined influence of both factors can yield significantly different results than those of a single factor. Plant responses to the combined effects of elevated temperature and O₃ are still controversial. We attribute the substantial uncertainty of these combined effects primarily to differences in methodological approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants Response to Abiotic Stresses: Strategies for Adaptations and Survival)

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