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Advances in Strategies & Solutions against Abiotic Stresses in Crops under Climate Changes

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 22594

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Gabrijel Ondrasek

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Guest Editor

Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: biopolymers; agroecosystems; sustainable soil and water management; salinization; salt stress; trace elements; Cd soil-plant transfer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Marjorie Reyes-Díaz

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Ciencias Químicas y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad de La Frontera, Casilla 54-D, Temuco 4811230, Chile
Interests: abiotic stress; ecophysiology; molecular biology; phytohormones; plant physiology

Dr. Cristian Merino-Gergichevich

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Guest Editor

Center of Plant, Soil Interaction and Natural Resources Biotechnology. Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus. Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
Interests: boron; plant micronutrients; aluminum toxicity; antioxidant activity; acid soil; calcareous amendment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural resources, especially those in intensive agroecosystems, are becoming more restricted in food production. Deterioration in the quality and availability of hydro-resources and lands due to different constrains (excessive salinity/alkalinity, pollution, droughts, waterlogging, ruined biodiversity, etc.) causes a wide range of physiological dysfunctions, such as abiotic stress in crops. After a certain stress threshold is reached, yield and quality starts to deteriorate sharply. Additionally, one stressor often coincides with numerous other environmental constrains (e.g., drought, waterlogging, heat waves, pollution, etc.), which can result in additive, antagonistic, or synergistic effects on crops and other biota; in practice, this makes it very difficult to choose the most effective strategy or combination approach against stressor(s). As a consequence, abiotic stresses progressively exacerbate the threat to food security and general ecosystem resilience. In this context, agroecosystems, especially those in rain-fed and (semi-)arid areas, in soils with low water retention capacity and depleted in recalcitrant organic buffers (humics) are more frequently and markedly exposed to abiotic stresses. It is plausible that abiotic stresses in (agro)ecosystem services and food production will be further aggravated under global climate changes. Therefore, the crucial question is whether existing strategies and solutions against abiotic stresses in crops can be made more proactive and effective by some promising and advanced scientific findings as climate change becomes more pronounced.

For instance, remotely sensed and integrated data modelling approaches using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms of environmental constrains in combination with in situ and lab-based approaches have never been so rapid, precise, and applicable on large scales, representing the most advanced approach in implementation of targeted measure against abiotic stressors. In addition, continued progress in biotechnology and ecoengineering offers some of the most advanced and effective solutions against abiotic stresses in crops (e.g., nano-based agrochemicals, marker-assisted breeding, genome editing, and plant–microbial associations); however, there are still many knowledge frontiers to be overcome before an effective transfer of these potential solutions to large-scale field frameworks.

The aim of this edition is to present and promote the latest and most advanced insights and progresses in the study of abiotic stress in crops, from different conditions (form lab to open field) and at different scales (from the molecule to the whole ecosystem).

This Special Issue welcomes all article types (original, review, communication, opinion, and perspective) on topics including, but are not limited to the following keywords given.

Prof. Dr. Gabrijel Ondrasek,
Prof. Dr. Marjorie Reyes-Díaz,
Dr. Cristian Merino-Gergichevich,
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.

Keywords

crop responses to abiotic (salt, alkalinity, water, metal) stresses under climate change
crop adaptation to abiotic stresses
water scarcity and water stress in crops
salinity/alkalinity stress in crops
ionic stress in crops
oxidative stress in crops
omics approaches and abiotic stresses
bioengineering approaches against abiotic stresses
biotechnology approaches against abiotic stresses
advanced statistical approaches for studding abiotic stresses
modelling approaches and abiotic stresses
artificial intelligence and abiotic stresses
machine learning and abiotic stresses

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2428 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Magnesium and Calcium Sulfate on Growth and Physiology of Forage Crops under Long-Term Salinity Stress

by Khulan Sharavdorj, Ser-Oddamba Byambadorj, Yeongmi Jang and Jin-Woong Cho

Plants 2022, 11(24), 3576; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/plants11243576 - 18 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2515

Abstract

Soil salinity is major threat to crop growth and reducing cultivated land areas and salt-resistant crops have been required to sustain agriculture in salinized areas. This original research was performed to determine the effectiveness of MgSO₄ (MS) and CaSO₄ (CS) for each species and assess changes in the physiology and growth of fodder crops after short and long-term salt stress. Six treatments (CON (control); NaCl (NaCl 100 mM); 1 MS (1 mM MgSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl); 2 MS (2 mM MgSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl); 7.5 CS (7.5 mM CaSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl); and 10 CS (10 mM CaSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl)) were applied to Red clover (Trifolium pratense) and Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) under greenhouse conditions. Cultivars were evaluated based on their dry weights, physiological parameters, forage quality, and ion concentrations. The biomass of both species decreased significantly under NaCl treatments and increased under the MS and CS treatments compared to solely salinity treatments. Salinity caused a decrease in the photosynthetic rate, but compared to CON, the MS and CS treatments yielded superior results. Moreover, the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio increased as Na⁺ concentration increased but crop quality (CP, NDF, ADF) did not show significant differences under salinity. Overall, we concluded that these T. pratense and F. arundinacea species demonstrated various responses to salinity, MS, and CS by different physiological and morphological parameters and it turned out to be efficient under salinity stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Strategies & Solutions against Abiotic Stresses in Crops under Climate Changes)

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18 pages, 4096 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antioxidants in Shell and Nut Yield Components after Ca, Mg and K Preharvest Spraying on Hazelnut Plantations in Southern Chile

by Carlos Manterola-Barroso, Karina Godoy, David Alarcón, Daniela Padilla and Cristian Meriño-Gergichevich

Plants 2022, 11(24), 3536; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/plants11243536 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1488

Abstract

To determine the effects of pre-harvest calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) spraying on the antioxidant activity and capacity of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) shells, as an approach to sustain the utilization of the main residue derived from this industry, four commercial hazelnut (Tonda di Giffoni) orchards located in Southern Chile (Cunco, Gorbea, Perquenco and Radal), during the 2018/19 season were sprayed three times with five combinations of Ca (300 and 600 mg L⁻¹), Mg (300 and 600 mg L⁻¹) and K (300 and 600 mg L⁻¹). Yield components were determined in harvested whole nuts, whereas Ca, Mg and K concentrations, as well as total phenolic compounds, free radical scavenging antioxidant activity, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity, were determined in shells. All spray treatments with both Ca, Mg and K combinations showed a significant interaction between locality and treatment (L × T) on increased stabilized nut yield (kg ha⁻¹) in comparison with the control treatments, whereas nut quality was differentially affected by treatment and orchard locality, thus confirming a significant L × T relationship regarding nut length and kernel yield. However, locality showed a major effect on kernels and shells. A significant relationship was determined between locality and the Ca, Mg and K spraying (L × T) concerning antioxidant compounds such as phenolics, whose amounts exceeded those of the control treatments by three times. Antioxidant capacity and activity in shells showed a significant L × T relationship, and nutshells collected from Cunco showed remarkably (3–4 times) higher levels of these factors than the other evaluated localities. Interactions between spray treatment and orchard location were responsible for the different values obtained in the experiments, confirming the influence of the environment on the efficacy of the treatments. Finally, these shells are worth further study as an interesting residue of the hazelnut industry due to their nutritional and antioxidant properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Strategies & Solutions against Abiotic Stresses in Crops under Climate Changes)

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23 pages, 3849 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rootstock Priming with Shikimic Acid and Streptomyces griseus for Growth, Productivity, Physio-Biochemical, and Anatomical Characterisation of Tomato Grown under Cold Stress

by Eman G. Sayed, Abdel Wahab M. Mahmoud, Ahmed Abdel-Wahab, Reham M. El-bahbohy and Samah N. Azoz

Plants 2022, 11(21), 2822; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/plants11212822 - 24 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1270

Abstract

With this research, we aimed to determine the impact of grafting and rootstock seed treated with Streptomyces griseus (MT210913) (S. griseus) or shikimic acid (SA) at a 60 ppm concentration on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production grown under low-temperature conditions. Two open-field trials were performed during both winter seasons of 2020 and 2021 at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. A tomato cultivar (Peto 86) was used as a scion and two tomato phenotypes were employed as rootstocks (Solanum cheesmaniae L. (line LA 524) and GS hybrid), as well as self-grafted as a control. Effects of sub-optimal temperature on vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality were tested. The results indicate that, under cold stress, rootstock seed priming, especially with S. griseus, enhanced plant growth, total yield, and fruit quality properties. GS hybrid rootstock was more effective than that of S. cheesmaniae rootstock in terms of mitigating the negative effect of cold stress. GS hybrid, inoculated with S. griseus, increased the total yield per plant by 10.5% and 5.7% in the first and second seasons, respectively. Higher levels of GA3 and mineral content were noticed in leaves that were grafted and treated with S. griseus compared to the control treatment. Additionally, the great enhancing effects of all anatomical features of tomato plants were recorded with GS hybrid rootstock, inoculated by S. griseus. These results prove that grafting on GS hybrid rootstock treated with S. griseus is a potential choice to alleviate the cold stress of commercial tomato varieties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Strategies & Solutions against Abiotic Stresses in Crops under Climate Changes)

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18 pages, 3339 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Quantity and Quality Changes in Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris Provar. Altissima Doel) Induced by Different Sources of Biostimulants

by Marek Rašovský, Vladimír Pačuta, Ladislav Ducsay and Dominika Lenická

Plants 2022, 11(17), 2222; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/plants11172222 - 27 Aug 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 1850

Abstract

The application of biostimulants in agriculture is considered an economically and ecologically acceptable and, above all, a sustainable method of cultivation of field crops. This study aimed to investigate the impact of biostimulating agents on the production and growth parameters of the sugar beet. In 2018 and 2019, an experiment was conducted in which the effect of four types of treatment (B0–B3) on two varieties of sugar beet (Alpaca, Gorila) was observed. The results show that the beets treated with treatment type B3 (combination of humic acids, essential amino acids, biopolymers, and soil bacteria) had the significantly highest yield of roots compared with the control type. However, parameters such as sugar content, polarized sugar yield, white sugar content, and white sugar yield were the highest in condition B2, treated with an agent containing soil bacteria. Furthermore, biostimulants positively affected the leaf area index, with significant growth observed, especially in condition B3. Another important finding was that in the interaction analysis, the biostimulants had positive effects in dry conditions and on elevated values of traits of Alpaca variety caused by treatment in condition B2. In terms of relationships between individual parameters, an interesting finding was that there was only a weak relationship between root yield and sugar content (Rs = 0.0715), which indicates that biostimulants increase production size while maintaining or increasing its quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Strategies & Solutions against Abiotic Stresses in Crops under Climate Changes)

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Review

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18 pages, 1594 KiB

Open AccessReview

Applications of Metabolomics for the Elucidation of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants: A Special Focus on Osmotic Stress and Heavy Metal Toxicity

by Manamele Dannies Mashabela, Priscilla Masamba and Abidemi Paul Kappo

Plants 2023, 12(2), 269; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/plants12020269 - 06 Jan 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2514

Abstract

Plants undergo metabolic perturbations under various abiotic stress conditions; due to their sessile nature, the metabolic network of plants requires continuous reconfigurations in response to environmental stimuli to maintain homeostasis and combat stress. The comprehensive analysis of these metabolic features will thus give an overview of plant metabolic responses and strategies applied to mitigate the deleterious effects of stress conditions at a biochemical level. In recent years, the adoption of metabolomics studies has gained significant attention due to the growing technological advances in analytical biochemistry (plant metabolomics). The complexity of the plant biochemical landscape requires sophisticated, advanced analytical methods. As such, technological advancements in the field of metabolomics have been realized, aided much by the development and refinement of separatory techniques, including liquid and gas chromatography (LC and GC), often hyphenated to state-of-the-art detection instruments such as mass spectrometry (MS) or nuclear resonance magnetic (NMR) spectroscopy. Significant advances and developments in these techniques are briefly highlighted in this review. The enormous progress made thus far also comes with the dawn of the Internet of Things (IoT) and technology housed in machine learning (ML)-based computational tools for data acquisition, mining, and analysis in the 4IR era allowing for broader metabolic coverage and biological interpretation of the cellular status of plants under varying environmental conditions. Thus, scientists can paint a holistic and comprehensive roadmap and predictive models for metabolite-guided crop improvement. The current review outlines the application of metabolomics and related technological advances in elucidating plant responses to abiotic stress, mainly focusing on heavy metal toxicity and subsequent osmotic stress tolerance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Strategies & Solutions against Abiotic Stresses in Crops under Climate Changes)

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21 pages, 2049 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Salt Stress in Plants and Mitigation Approaches

by Gabrijel Ondrasek, Santosha Rathod, Kallakeri Kannappa Manohara, Channappa Gireesh, Madhyavenkatapura Siddaiah Anantha, Akshay Sureshrao Sakhare, Brajendra Parmar, Brahamdeo Kumar Yadav, Nirmala Bandumula, Farzana Raihan, Anna Zielińska-Chmielewska, Cristian Meriño-Gergichevich, Marjorie Reyes-Díaz, Amanullah Khan, Olga Panfilova, Alex Seguel Fuentealba, Sebastián Meier Romero, Beithou Nabil, Chunpeng (Craig) Wan, Jonti Shepherd and Jelena Horvatinec Show full author list Hide full author list

Plants 2022, 11(6), 717; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/plants11060717 - 08 Mar 2022

Cited by 56 | Viewed by 11579

Abstract

Salinization of soils and freshwater resources by natural processes and/or human activities has become an increasing issue that affects environmental services and socioeconomic relations. In addition, salinization jeopardizes agroecosystems, inducing salt stress in most cultivated plants (nutrient deficiency, pH and oxidative stress, biomass reduction), and directly affects the quality and quantity of food production. Depending on the type of salt/stress (alkaline or pH-neutral), specific approaches and solutions should be applied to ameliorate the situation on-site. Various agro-hydrotechnical (soil and water conservation, reduced tillage, mulching, rainwater harvesting, irrigation and drainage, control of seawater intrusion), biological (agroforestry, multi-cropping, cultivation of salt-resistant species, bacterial inoculation, promotion of mycorrhiza, grafting with salt-resistant rootstocks), chemical (application of organic and mineral amendments, phytohormones), bio-ecological (breeding, desalination, application of nano-based products, seed biopriming), and/or institutional solutions (salinity monitoring, integrated national and regional strategies) are very effective against salinity/salt stress and numerous other constraints. Advances in computer science (artificial intelligence, machine learning) provide rapid predictions of salinization processes from the field to the global scale, under numerous scenarios, including climate change. Thus, these results represent a comprehensive outcome and tool for a multidisciplinary approach to protect and control salinization, minimizing damages caused by salt stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Strategies & Solutions against Abiotic Stresses in Crops under Climate Changes)

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