Plant Abiotic Stress Research Articles

Multidimensional Role of Silicon to Mitigate Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Plants: A Comprehensive Review

Multidimensional Role of Silicon to Mitigate Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Plants: A Comprehensive Review

Functionality of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in Plants: Toxicity and Control in Poaceae Crops Exposed to Abiotic Stress.

Agriculture and changing environmental conditions are closely related, as weather changes could adversely affect living organisms or regions of crop cultivation. Changing environmental conditions trigger different abiotic stresses, which ultimately cause the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants. Common ROS production sites are the chloroplast, endoplasmic reticulum, plasma membrane, mitochondria, peroxisomes, etc. The imbalance in ROS production and ROS detoxification in plant cells leads to oxidative damage to biomolecules such as lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. At low concentrations, ROS initiates signaling events related to development and adaptations to abiotic stress in plants by inducing signal transduction pathways. In plants, a stress signal is perceived by various receptors that induce a signal transduction pathway that activates numerous signaling networks, which disrupt gene expression, impair the diversity of kinase/phosphatase signaling cascades that manage the stress response in the plant, and result in changes in physiological responses under various stresses. ROS production also regulates ABA-dependent and ABA-independent pathways to mitigate drought stress. This review focuses on the common subcellular location of manufacturing, complex signaling mechanisms, and networks of ROS, with an emphasis on cellular effects and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant scavenging mechanisms of ROS in Poaceae crops against drought stress and how the manipulation of ROS regulates stress tolerance in plants. Understanding ROS systems in plants could help to create innovative strategies to evolve paths of cell protection against the negative effects of excessive ROS in attempts to improve crop productivity in adverse environments.

RmMYB44 Confers Resistance to Chilling, Drought, and Salt Stress in Both Rosa multiflora and Tobacco

Roses, a popular ornamental crop, often face various abiotic stresses during growth and development, such as cold, drought, and salinity. Rosa multiflora is a commonly used rootstock and exhibits strong resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses, making it an ideal material for studying mechanisms for resistance. Among the largest plant families, MYB transcription factors play a crucial role in plant abiotic stresses. Our previous research has indicated that RmMYB44 could be involved in the low-temperature response of R. multiflora. This study further investigated RmMYB44, revealing that its expression levels were upregulated in response to chilling, drought, and salt stress. The results suggested its potential role as a key transcription factor in plant resistance to abiotic stresses. Additionally, RmMYB44 encoded a nuclear-localized protein without the self-activating function. The overexpression of RmMYB44 in tobacco plants enhanced the resistance to cold, drought, and salt stresses, as evidenced by the improved growth compared to wild-type (WT) plants under conditions of 4 °C, 30% water-holding capacity, and 200 mM of NaCl, respectively. Moreover, in overexpression tobacco plants, the levels of hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly reduced; and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT); as well as the proline content and the expression levels of NtPOD, NtCAT, and NtCBF; were significantly elevated under abiotic stresses. We assumed that the resistance to abiotic stress in plants conferred by RmMYB44 was associated with the regulation of cell membrane integrity. This study aimed to elucidate the role of the RmMYB44 gene in the resistance mechanism of R. multiflora against abiotic stress, thereby providing a candidate gene for the molecular breeding of abiotic stress resistance in roses and related species.

Photosynthetic Activities, Phytohormones, and Secondary Metabolites Induction in Plants by Prevailing Compost Residue.

Compost residue enriches soil health with the potential to enhance plant metabolism and hormonal balance, but has not yet been studied. A study was performed to determine how prevailing compost residue induces tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Scotia') plant morpho-physiology, phytohormones, and secondary metabolites. Plants were grown in soils with a previous history of annual (AN) and biennial (BI) compost amendments. The controls were soil without compost (C) amendment and municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) alone. The MSWC- and AN-plants had similar and significantly (p < 0.05) highest growth and photosynthetic activities compared to the BI- or C-plants. Total phenolics and lipid peroxidase activity were significantly (p < 0.001) high in BI-plants, while hydrogen peroxide and antioxidant capacity were significantly (p < 0.001) high in AN-plants. MSWC-plants recorded the highest cis-abscisic acid, followed by AN-, and then BI- and C-plants. Cis-zeatin, trans-zeatin, and isopentenyladenine ribosides were detected in the MSWC- and AN-plants but not in the BI- or C-plants. Furthermore, gibberellins GA53, GA19, and GA8 were high in the MSWC-plants, but only GA8 was detected in the AN plants and none in the others. Besides, MSWC plants exhibited the highest content of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. Conjugated salicylic acid was highest in the BI-plants, while jasmonic acid-isoleucine was highest in MSWC-plants and C plants. In conclusion, prevailing compost chemical residues upregulate plant growth, phytohormones, and metabolic compounds that can potentially increase plant growth and abiotic stress defense. Future work should investigate the flow of these compounds in plants under abiotic stress.

Seed endophytes and rhizosphere microbiome of Imperata cylindrica, a pioneer plant of abandoned mine lands.

Some plant-associated microorganisms could improve host plants biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Imperata cylindrica is a dominant pioneer plant in some abandoned mine lands with higher concentrations of heavy metal (HM). To discover the specific microbiome of I. cylindrica in this extreme environment and evaluate its role, the microbiome of I. cylindrica's seeds and rhizosphere soils from HM heavily contaminated (H) and lightly contaminated (L) sites were studied. It was found that HM-contamination significantly reduced the richness of endophytic bacteria in seeds, but increased the abundance of resistant species, such as Massilia sp. and Duganella sp. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis showed that both Massilia sp. and Duganella sp. showed a significant positive correlation with Zn concentration, indicating that it may have a strong tolerance to Zn. A comparison of the microbiome of rhizosphere soils (RS) and adjacent bare soils (BS) of site H showed that I. cylindrica colonization significantly increased the diversity of fungi in rhizosphere soil and the abundance of Ascomycota associated with soil nutrient cycling. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis showed that Ascomycota was positively correlated with the total nitrogen. Combined with the fact that the total nitrogen content of RS was significantly higher than that of BS, we suppose that Ascomycota may enhance the nitrogen fixation of I. cylindrica, thereby promoting its growth in such an extreme environment. In conclusion, the concentration of HM and nutrient contents in the soil significantly affected the microbial community of rhizosphere soils and seeds of I. cylindrica, in turn, the different microbiomes further affected soil HM concentration and nutrient contents. The survival of I. cylindrica in HM severely contaminated environment may mainly be through recruiting more microorganisms that can enhance its nutrition supply.

Heat Stress and Plant-Biotic Interactions: Advances and Perspectives.

Climate change presents numerous challenges for agriculture, including frequent events of plant abiotic stresses such as elevated temperatures that lead to heat stress (HS). As the primary driving factor of climate change, HS threatens global food security and biodiversity. In recent years, HS events have negatively impacted plant physiology, reducing plant's ability to maintain disease resistance and resulting in lower crop yields. Plants must adapt their priorities toward defense mechanisms to tolerate stress in challenging environments. Furthermore, selective breeding and long-term domestication for higher yields have made crop varieties vulnerable to multiple stressors, making them more susceptible to frequent HS events. Studies on climate change predict that concurrent HS and biotic stresses will become more frequent and severe in the future, potentially occurring simultaneously or sequentially. While most studies have focused on singular stress effects on plant systems to examine how plants respond to specific stresses, the simultaneous occurrence of HS and biotic stresses pose a growing threat to agricultural productivity. Few studies have explored the interactions between HS and plant-biotic interactions. Here, we aim to shed light on the physiological and molecular effects of HS and biotic factor interactions (bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, nematodes, insect pests, pollinators, weedy species, and parasitic plants), as well as their combined impact on crop growth and yields. We also examine recent advances in designing and developing various strategies to address multi-stress scenarios related to HS and biotic factors.

Phytochrome interacting factor ZmPIF6 simultaneously enhances chilling tolerance and grain size in rice

Chilling is a prevalent type of abiotic stress that adversely affects agricultural productivity worldwide. Phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs) are a group of transcription factor that are crucial for plant abiotic stress response. Our research reveals that the maize PIF family gene ZmPIF6 is responsive to chilling stress, which mitigates the negative impacts of chilling through reducing reactive oxygen species content and enhancing cell membrane stability at the physiological and biochemical levels. We also found that the ZmPIF6 overexpression lines showed a significant increase in grain size, encompassing both length and width, which mainly due to the increase in cell size. In addition, digital gene expression results suggested that ZmPIF6 regulates the expression of cold-related and grain size-related genes in rice. In light of these findings, ZmPIF6 has a hopeful prospect as a candidate gene of chilling tolerance and crop productivity in the transgenic breeding.

Dynamic interplay of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) in plant resilience: unveiling the signaling pathways and metabolic responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Plants respond to environmental challenges by producing reactive species such as ROS and RNS, which play critical roles in signaling pathways that lead to adaptation and survival strategies. Understanding these pathways, as well as their detection methods and effects on plant development and metabolism, provides insight into increasing crop tolerance to combined stresses. Plants encounter various environmental stresses (abiotic and biotic) that affect plant growth and development. Plants sense biotic and abiotic stresses by producing different molecules, including reactive species, that act as signaling molecules and stimulate secondary messengers and subsequent gene transcription. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) are produced in both physiological and pathological conditions in the plasma membranes, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum. Various techniques, including spectroscopy, chromatography, and fluorescence methods, are used to detect highly reactive, short-half-life ROS and RNS either directly or indirectly. In this review, we highlight the roles of ROS and RNS in seed germination, root development, senescence, mineral nutrition, and post-harvest control. In addition, we provide information on the specialized metabolism involved in plant growth and development. Secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids, are produced in low concentrations in plants for signaling and metabolism. Strategies for improving crop performance under combined drought and pathogen stress conditions are discussed in this review.

Application of CuNPs and AMF alleviates arsenic stress by encompassing reduced arsenic uptake through metabolomics and ionomics alterations in Elymus sibiricus

Recent studies have exhibited a very promising role of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) in mitigation of abiotic stresses in plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) assisted plants to trigger their defense mechanism against abiotic stresses. Arsenic (As) is a non-essential and injurious heavy-metal contaminant. Current research work was designed to elucidate role of CuNPs (100, 200 and 300 mM) and a commercial inoculum of Glomus species (Clonex® Root Maximizer) either alone or in combination (CuNPs + Clonex) on physiology, growth, and stress alleviation mechanisms of E. sibiricus growing in As spiked soils (0, 50, and 100 mg Kg− 1 soil). Arsenic induced oxidative stress, enhanced biosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation and methylglyoxal (MG) in E. sibiricus. Moreover, As-phytotoxicity reduced photosynthetic activities and growth of plants. Results showed that individual and combined treatments, CuNPs (100 mM) as well as soil inoculation of AMF significantly enhanced root growth and shoot growth by declining As content in root tissues and shoot tissues in As polluted soils. E. sibiricus plants treated with CuNPs (100 mM) and/or AMF alleviated As induced phytotoxicity through upregulating the activity of antioxidative enzymes such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) besides the biosynthesis of non-enzymatic antioxidants including phytochelatin (PC) and glutathione (GSH). In brief, supplementation of CuNPs (100 mM) alone or in combination with AMF reduced As uptake and alleviated the As-phytotoxicity in E. sibiricus by inducing stress tolerance mechanism resulting in the improvement of the plant growth parameters.

Genome-Wide Identification of Seven in Absentia E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Gene Family and Expression Profiles in Response to Different Hormones in Uncaria rhynchophylla.

SINA (Seven in absentia) E3 ubiquitin ligases are a family of RING (really interesting new gene) E3 ubiquitin ligases, and they play a crucial role in regulating plant growth and development, hormone response, and abiotic and biotic stress. However, there is little research on the SINA gene family in U. rhynchophylla. In this study, a total of 10 UrSINA genes were identified from the U. rhynchophylla genome. The results of multiple sequence alignments and chromosomal locations show that 10 UrSINA genes were unevenly located on 22 chromosomes, and each UrSINA protein contained a SINA domain at the N-terminal and RING domains at the C-terminal. Synteny analysis showed that there are no tandem duplication gene pairs and there are four segmental gene pairs in U. rhynchophylla, contributing to the expansion of the gene family. Furthermore, almost all UrSINA genes contained the same gene structure, with three exons and two introns, and there were many cis-acting elements relating to plant hormones, light responses, and biotic and abiotic stress. The results of qRT-PCR show that most UrSINA genes were expressed in stems, with the least expression in roots; meanwhile, most UrSINA genes and key enzyme genes were responsive to ABA and MeJA hormones with overlapping but different expression patterns. Co-expression analysis showed that UrSINA1 might participate in the TIA pathway under ABA treatment, and UrSINA5 and UrSINA6 might participate in the TIA pathway under MeJA treatment. The mining of UrSINA genes in the U. rhynchophylla provided novel information for understanding the SINA gene and its function in plant secondary metabolites, growth, and development.

Insights into Plant Sensory Mechanisms under Abiotic Stresses.

As sessile organisms, plants cannot survive in harmful environments, such as those characterized by drought, flood, heat, cold, nutrient deficiency, and salt or toxic metal stress. These stressors impair plant growth and development, leading to decreased crop productivity. To induce an appropriate response to abiotic stresses, plants must sense the pertinent stressor at an early stage to initiate precise signal transduction. Here, we provide an overview of recent progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant abiotic stress sensing. Numerous biomolecules have been found to participate in the process of abiotic stress sensing and function as abiotic stress sensors in plants. Based on their molecular structure, these biomolecules can be divided into four groups: Ca2+-permeable channels, receptor-like kinases (RLKs), sphingolipids, and other proteins. This improved knowledge can be used to identify key molecular targets for engineering stress-resilient crops in the field.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the CONSTANS-like family in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

The CONSTANS-like (COL) gene plays important roles in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress. A total of 15 COL genes are unevenly distributed on eight chromosomes in the potato genome. The amino acid length of the family members was 347-453 aa, the molecular weight was 38.65-49.92 kD, and the isoelectric point was 5.13-6.09. The StCOL family can be divided into three subfamilies by evolutionary tree analysis, with conserved motifs and similar gene structure positions in each subfamily. The analysis of promoter cis-acting elements showed 17 cis-acting elements related to plant hormones, stress, and light response. Collinearity analysis of COL genes of tomato, potato, and Arabidopsis showed that 13 StCOL genes in the different species may have a common ancestor. A total of 10 conserved motifs and six kinds of post-translational modifications in the 15 StCOL proteins were identified. The 15 StCOL genes exhibit a genomic structure consisting of exons and introns, typically ranging from two to four in number. The results showed that 10 genes displayed significant expression across all potato tissues, while the remaining five genes were down-expressed in potato transcriptome data. The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis exhibited differential expression of 8 StCOL genes in the potato leaves and tubers at different growth stages, as well as 7 StCOL genes under 2°C treatment conditions. These results suggested that the StCOL gene family may play an important role in regulating potato tuberization and responding to cold stress.

Mitigation of Abiotic Stresses in Plants through Nutrient Management

The food demand over the world is increasing due to the rapid increase in the population. Direct and indirect effects of climate change have severely affected the growth and development of crops. Of these, abiotic stress factors are reported to cause a reduction in crop productivity ranging from 51 percent to 82 percent. Abiotic stresses like drought, waterlogging stress, salt stress, soil acidity, metal toxicities and temperature variations have overwhelming impact on the growth and productivity of crops. Abiotic stress causes increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and affects various physiological processes, causing reduction in plant growth and yield. Nutrient management proves to be an effective strategy for alleviating various abiotic stress factors affecting agricultural crops. Nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, calcium and magnesium increase the production of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and reduces ROS production. Micronutrients such as iron, boron and zinc as well as biofertilizers improve plant adaptation to various stresses through activation of antioxidant enzymes. Current review focuses on the impact of mineral nutrients, organic amendments and biofertilizers in alleviating abiotic stress in agricultural crops.

Genome-Wide Identification of the Alfin-like Gene Family in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and the GhAL19 Gene Negatively Regulated Drought and Salt Tolerance.

Alfin-like (AL) is a small plant-specific gene family characterized by a PHD-finger-like structural domain at the C-terminus and a DUF3594 structural domain at the N-terminus, and these genes play prominent roles in plant development and abiotic stress response. In this study, we conducted genome-wide identification and analyzed the AL protein family in Gossypium hirsutum cv. NDM8 to assess their response to various abiotic stresses for the first time. A total of 26 AL genes were identified in NDM8 and classified into four groups based on a phylogenetic tree. Moreover, cis-acting element analysis revealed that multiple phytohormone response and abiotic stress response elements were highly prevalent in AL gene promoters. Further, we discovered that the GhAL19 gene could negatively regulate drought and salt stresses via physiological and biochemical changes, gene expression, and the VIGS assay. The study found there was a significant increase in POD and SOD activity, as well as a significant change in MDA in VIGS-NaCl and VIGS-PEG plants. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of the ABA biosynthesis gene (GhNCED1), signaling genes (GhABI1, GhABI2, and GhABI5), responsive genes (GhCOR47, GhRD22, and GhERFs), and the stress-related marker gene GhLEA14 were regulated in VIGS lines under drought and NaCl treatment. In summary, GhAL19 as an AL TF may negatively regulate tolerance to drought and salt by regulating the antioxidant capacity and ABA-mediated pathway.

PLANT-GROWTH-PROMOTING AND ANTIFUNGAL ASSET OF INDIGENOUS DROUGHT-TOLERANT RHIZOBACTERIA ISOLATED FROM OLIVE (Olea europaea L.) RHIZOSPHERE

Faced with global environmental challenges, the quest for sustainable food production has gathered momentum. While abiotic stresses adversely affect plant health and productivity, Verticillium wilt causes considerable yield losses worldwide, particularly in crops such as olive. Recently, drought-tolerant bacteria have been used to alleviate both abiotic stress and pathogen pressure in crops. In this context, our work focuses on the isolation of tolerant indigenous rhizobacteria to mitigate these challenges by investigating their role in biocontrol and abiotic stress tolerance. Thus, a total of 94 rhizobacterial strains were isolated from the rhizospheres of olive trees in southeastern Morocco and characterized to identify tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria that inhibit Verticillium dahliae. 24 strains demonstrated in vitro suppression of Verticillium dahliae Klebahn, and exhibited tolerance to different abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, and high temperature). In addition, they proved xerotolerant (Aw ≤ 0.91), halotolerant (≥10% NaCl), and thermotolerant (≥ 55°C) capabilities. Beyond, these isolates showcased multifaceted plant growth-promoting traits, such as phosphate solubilization and significant synthesis of essential bioactive compounds like siderophores, indole-3-acetic acid and hydrolytic enzymes. Evaluating outcomes, three standout rhizobacterial isolates emerged due to their exceptional stress tolerance, unique plant growth-promoting qualities, and potent antagonistic potential. Molecular analysis identified them as Bacillus paranthracis (OZ-60) and Bacillus licheniformis (OZ-48 and OZ-77) through 16S rRNA sequencing. Besides enhancing plant abiotic stress resistance, these isolates hold promise in bolstering the sustainability of olive cultivation and fortifying plant defenses against pathogens.

Autophagy is suppressed by low temperatures and is dispensable for cold acclimation in Arabidopsis.

Plants have evolved various mechanisms to adapt to the ever-changing external environment. Autophagy is one such mechanism and has been suggested to play a key role in responding to and adapting to abiotic stresses in plants. However, the role of autophagy in adaptation to cold and freezing stresses remains to be characterized in detail. Here, we investigated the role of autophagy in the low-temperature response of Arabidopsis using atg mutants. Both the atg5-1 and atg10-1 mutants exhibited normal freezing tolerance, regardless of cold acclimation. A comparison of fresh weights indicated that the difference in growth between the wild-type and atg plants under cold conditions was rather small compared with that under normal conditions. Analysis of COLD-REGULATED gene expression showed no significant differences between the atg mutants and wild type. Treatment with 3-methyladenine, an inhibitor of autophagy, did not impair the induction of COR15Apro::LUC expression upon exposure to low temperature. Evaluation of autophagic activity using transgenic plants expressing RBCS-mRFP demonstrated that autophagy was rarely induced by cold exposure, even in the dark. Taken together, these data suggest that autophagy is suppressed by low temperatures and is dispensable for cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis.

The role of strigolactones in resistance to environmental stress in plants.

Abiotic stress impairs plant growth and development, thereby causing low yield and inferior quality of crops. Increasing studies reported that strigolactones (SL) are plant hormones that enhance plant stress resistance by regulating plant physiological processes and gene expressions. In this review, we introduce the response and regulatory role of SL in salt, drought, light, heat, cold and cadmium stresses in plants. This review also discusses how SL alleviate the damage of abiotic stress in plants, furthermore, introducing the mechanisms of SL enhancing plant stress resistance at the genetic level. Under abiotic stress, the exogenous SL analog GR24 can induce the biosynthesis of SL in plants, and endogenous SL can alleviate the damage caused by abiotic stress. SL enhanced the stress resistance of plants by protecting photosynthesis, enhancing the antioxidant capacity of plants and promoting the symbiosis between plants and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM). SL interact with abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), auxin, cytokinin (CK), jasmonic acid (JA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and other signal molecules to jointly regulate plant stress resistance. Lastly, both the importance of SL and their challenges for future work are outlined in order to further elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying the roles of SL in plant responses to abiotic stress.

Plant Growth-Promotion and Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Dark Septate Endophyte Fungi Isolated from Roots of Native Andean Ericaceae Plants Colonizing Volcanic Deposits in Southern Chile

Plant Growth-Promotion and Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Dark Septate Endophyte Fungi Isolated from Roots of Native Andean Ericaceae Plants Colonizing Volcanic Deposits in Southern Chile

Multi-platform sequencing explores the transcriptomics of terpenoid biosynthesis in Melaleuca alternifolia

Leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia are abundant in essential oils comprising terpenoids and volatile organic compounds, which play an important role in plant abiotic stress response. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying terpenoid biosynthesis in M. alternifolia remain poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, we profiled terpenoid content and composition across four distinct growth phases using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). We also performed an integrated analysis of gene expression in leaf tissues through full-length transcriptome sequencing combined with high throughput RNA sequencing. We identified 46,313 transcripts, 99 % (45,848 transcripts) of which were annotated using existing databases. Our study also revealed 2,792 transcription factors (TFs) and 1,812 alternative splicing (AS) events. Through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we clustered these identified genes into 11 co-expressed modules. Notably, two modules—designated as blue and brown—were significantly correlated with essential oil content. Homologous annotation with the Arabidopsis database revealed that genes within the blue module are largely involved in the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, suggesting its pivotal role in essential oil synthesis in M. alternifolia. Furthermore, elevated expression levels of VAMP72 and DGK1 in the brown module indicate their potential function as negative regulators of essential oil synthesis. Our findings unveil key differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways that can be targeted to enhance essential oil production in M. alternifolia. The identified TFs may serve as potential candidates for genetic modification through genome editing technologies. This research provides valuable insights into the processes involved in essential oil biosynthesis and highlights key genes for functional characterization in M. alternifolia.

Recent omics progress in nanobiotechnology for plant abiotic stress tolerance improvement

Use of nanomaterials (NMs) to improve plant abiotic stress tolerance (AST) is a hot topic in NM-enabled agriculture. Previous studies mainly focused on the physiological and biochemical responses of plants treated with NMs under abiotic stress. To use NMs for improving plant AST, it is necessary to understand how they act on this tolerance at the omics and epigenetics levels. In this review, we summarized the knowledge of NM-improved abiotic stress tolerance in relation to omics (such as metabolic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and microRNA), DNA methylation, and histone modifications. Overall, NMs can improve plant abiotic stress tolerance through the modulation at omics and epigenetics levels.