Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic and biotic stresses are representing a major challenge both for the agricultural and forest sector.

Over the next few decades, climate change is expected to result in considerable increase in the intensity and frequency of drought events (Sunderland and Rowland, 2019). In this water-limited scenario, other abiotic stresses, such as high salinity and extreme temperatures, can negatively affect plants, causing growth reduction and lower crop yields (Lesk et al., 2016). These conditions may facilitate or hasten further damage induced by biotic factors such as insects or pathogens. Under these adverse conditions, the production rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) exponentially increases, altering cellular redox homeostasis and eventually leading to tissue death (Waszczak et al., 2018). Increased resilience against such stresses is one of the key aims of farmers and could be attained by adopting suitable genotypes, improving management practices, and inducing a higher stress tolerance through “chemical priming”. Indeed, plant resilience to multiple stresses relies on physiological and biochemical mechanisms that help to maintain maximum photosynthetic efficiency and avoid excess oxidative damage (Rivero et al., 2022).

We are interested in collecting the experiences of different studies on plant responses to abiotic and biotic factors, both under controlled and natural conditions. Research articles and reviews in this area of study are welcome. The experiences of different research areas, both on the physiochemical and biochemical responses of plants to stress and the application of sustainable cultivation/management practices, are of utmost importance. The topics could include but not limited to plant immunity and signaling, identification and characterization of novel stress tolerance genes, studies on soil microbiome and their responses to various stresses, plant-pathogen interactions, novel methods for development of improved crop traits and use of biological agents to overcome different stresses.

The plant kingdom is diverse and there are various staple crops used across the world and there are various pathogens and stress conditions associated with them. Hence, it is important to gather the experimental studies performed on various crops to develop sustainable solutions for the society. Thus, we would be happy to welcome any research articles and reviews that suit the scope of this study.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Cecilia Brunetti

Dr. Sowmya Poosapati

Section editor