Billions of plants species in our planet have been facing various kinds of abiotic and biotic stresses which are ultimately leading to severe ecological damages as well as severe food insecurity challenges. Depending on the regions, abiotic stresses refer to extremely high and low temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, high or low light, salinity, floods, drought, heavy metals, etc., while biotic stresses refer to damages caused by insects, herbivores, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, or weeds. These stresses have been further accelerating and even becoming worse every day under the influence of unpredictable drastic climate change events. In order to cope with such stresses, varieties of plants and crops have been adopting physiological, morphological, genetical, and hormonal changes which are vital for ecological balances as well as for sustainable crop development. The aim of this Research Topic is to provide references on how different plant and crop species are responding to those abiotic and biotic stresses genetically while also evolving to cope with them. We welcome studies on any plant and crop species (1) which have shown natural genetic evolution or have responded to manipulated genetic transformations under any abiotic and biotic stresses (2) which have shown biochemical and physiological changes that correspond to genetic changes in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. We encourage submissions of original research articles, and reviews on the following subthemes but are not limited to:• Genetic responses of plants and crops under different abiotic and biotic stresses.• Mechanisms of naturally evolving genes and improving tolerance under abiotic and biotic stresses.• Mechanisms of manipulating genes towards adapting and improving tolerance under abiotic and biotic stresses.• Functional identification, characterization, and analysis of stress-responsive genes towards abiotic and biotic stresses.Please note: Based on journal quality policy, descriptive studies are discouraged for submission to this research topic (e.g., those cataloging gene expression changes in stress-exposed plants but not exploring the functional relevance of differentially expressed genes/pathways).
Billions of plants species in our planet have been facing various kinds of abiotic and biotic stresses which are ultimately leading to severe ecological damages as well as severe food insecurity challenges. Depending on the regions, abiotic stresses refer to extremely high and low temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, high or low light, salinity, floods, drought, heavy metals, etc., while biotic stresses refer to damages caused by insects, herbivores, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, or weeds. These stresses have been further accelerating and even becoming worse every day under the influence of unpredictable drastic climate change events. In order to cope with such stresses, varieties of plants and crops have been adopting physiological, morphological, genetical, and hormonal changes which are vital for ecological balances as well as for sustainable crop development. The aim of this Research Topic is to provide references on how different plant and crop species are responding to those abiotic and biotic stresses genetically while also evolving to cope with them. We welcome studies on any plant and crop species (1) which have shown natural genetic evolution or have responded to manipulated genetic transformations under any abiotic and biotic stresses (2) which have shown biochemical and physiological changes that correspond to genetic changes in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. We encourage submissions of original research articles, and reviews on the following subthemes but are not limited to:• Genetic responses of plants and crops under different abiotic and biotic stresses.• Mechanisms of naturally evolving genes and improving tolerance under abiotic and biotic stresses.• Mechanisms of manipulating genes towards adapting and improving tolerance under abiotic and biotic stresses.• Functional identification, characterization, and analysis of stress-responsive genes towards abiotic and biotic stresses.Please note: Based on journal quality policy, descriptive studies are discouraged for submission to this research topic (e.g., those cataloging gene expression changes in stress-exposed plants but not exploring the functional relevance of differentially expressed genes/pathways).