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Frontiers in Plant Science

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The world's most cited plant science journal, spanning genetics, ecology, physiology and biotechnology for sustainable ecosystems.

Frontiers in Plant Science is a leading, multidisciplinary journal that seeks to advance our understanding of fundamental processes in plant biology. Led by Field Chief Editor Prof. ChunMing Liu (Institute of Botany,...

About the journal
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  • Peer review

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  • Publishing fees

    Article processing charges apply to articles accepted for publication by our external editors after rigorous peer review.

Editors

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Chun-Ming Liu

Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

China

Editor-in-Chief

Andrea Genre

University of Turin

Italy

Specialty Chief Editor

Plant Symbiotic Interactions

Anna N Stepanova

North Carolina State University

United States

Specialty Chief Editor

Plant Physiology

Choong-Min Ryu

Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)

Republic of Korea

Specialty Chief Editor

Plant Pathogen Interactions

Diego Rubiales

Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

Spain

Specialty Chief Editor

Plant Breeding

Huihui Li

Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

China

Specialty Chief Editor

Functional and Applied Plant Genomics

Ingo Dreyer

University of Talca

Chile

Specialty Chief Editor

Plant Biophysics and Modeling

2,573 editors · 0 reviewers

About the journal

Scope

Frontiers in Plant Science is a leading, multidisciplinary journal that seeks to advance our understanding of fundamental processes in plant biology. Led by Field Chief Editor Prof. Chun-Ming Liu (Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and indexed in PubMed, PubMed Central, and Scopus, among others, the journal seeks original and significant contributions that cultivate plant biology and its applications. The journal has the long-term goal of supporting sustainable development, food security, functional ecosystems, biotechnology (including biofuels and biomaterials), and human health. Frontiers in Plant Science welcomes Original Research, Review, Opinion, and Perspective articles, among other submission types, covering the journal’s specialty sections: • aquatic photosynthetic organisms • crop and product physiology • functional plant ecology • functional and applied plant genomics • photosynthesis and photobiology • plant abiotic stress • plant bioinformatics • plant biophysics and modeling • plant biotechnology • plant breeding • plant cell biology • plant development and EvoDevo • plant genetics, epigenetics and chromosome biology • plant membrane traffic and transport • plant metabolism and chemodiversity • plant nutrition • plant pathogen interactions • plant physiology • plant proteomics and protein structural biology • plant symbiotic interactions • plant systematics and evolution • plant systems and synthetic biology • sustainable and intelligent phytoprotection • technical advances in plant science. Furthermore, the journal welcomes submissions that support and advance the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 13: climate action and SDG 15: life on land.   Frontiers in Plant Science is committed to advancing developments in the field of plant biology by allowing unrestricted access to articles and communicating scientific knowledge to researchers and the public alike, to enable the scientific breakthroughs of the future.  Requirements Manuscripts that focus on non-plant-related microbiology, human or animal genetics, and medical and pharmacological research are not suitable for publication in this journal. Pure field agriculture studies such as those focusing on fertilizer application or yield optimization, without relevance to plant science, are also not within the scope of this journal. Studies falling into the categories below will not be considered for review in this journal unless they are expanded and provide insight into the biological process being studied: i) Descriptive collections of transcripts, proteins, or metabolites, including comparative sets as a result of different conditions or treatments; ii) Descriptive studies that define gene families using pure phylogenetics and the assignment of cursory functional attributions (e.g. expression profiles, promoter analysis, and bioinformatic parameters). Quantitative analysis needs to be performed on a minimum of three biological replicates in order to enable an assessment of significance. This includes quantitative omics studies (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) as well as phenotypic measurements, quantitative assays, and qPCR expression analysis. Studies that do not comply with these replication requirements will not be considered for review. Studies using transgenic or mutant lines (plants and algae), for example, T-DNA, transposon, RNAi, CRISPR/Cas9, chemically induced, overexpressors and reporter fusions (GUS, GFPs, LUC), should be based on data from multiple alleles (minimum of two) displaying a common and stable phenotype. Qualitative data can be presented from a single allele but should be indicative of observations from multiple alleles which should be explicitly stated in the text. Quantitative data should be derived from multiple alleles (at least two) and should be displayed separately for each allele (with at least three independent replications for each allele). Studies reporting single alleles may be considered acceptable when: i) Complementation via transformation is used for confirmation;  ii) The allele has been previously characterized and published, and is representative of multiple independent lines; iii) In situations where genetic transformation is difficult or not yet possible, alternative evidence should be presented

Aims

Frontiers in Plant Science is a leading, multidisciplinary journal that seeks to advance our understanding of fundamental processes in plant biology.

Led by Field Chief Editor Prof. Chun-Ming Liu (Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and indexed in PubMed, PubMed Central, and Scopus, among others, the journal seeks original and significant contributions that cultivate plant biology and its applications. The journal has the long-term goal of supporting sustainable development, food security, functional ecosystems, biotechnology (including biofuels and biomaterials), and human health.

Frontiers in Plant Science welcomes Original Research, Review, Opinion, and Perspective articles, among other submission types, covering the journal’s specialty sections:

• aquatic photosynthetic organisms • crop and product physiology • functional plant ecology • functional and applied plant genomics • photosynthesis and photobiology • plant abiotic stress • plant bioinformatics • plant biophysics and modeling • plant biotechnology • plant breeding • plant cell biology • plant development and EvoDevo • plant genetics, epigenetics and chromosome biology • plant membrane traffic and transport • plant metabolism and chemodiversity • plant nutrition • plant pathogen interactions • plant physiology • plant proteomics and protein structural biology • plant symbiotic interactions • plant systematics and evolution • plant systems and synthetic biology • sustainable and intelligent phytoprotection • technical advances in plant science.

Furthermore, the journal welcomes submissions that support and advance the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 13: climate action and SDG 15: life on land.

Frontiers in Plant Science is committed to advancing developments in the field of plant biology by allowing unrestricted access to articles and communicating scientific knowledge to researchers and the public alike, to enable the scientific breakthroughs of the future.

Requirements Manuscripts that focus on non-plant-related microbiology, human or animal genetics, and medical and pharmacological research are not suitable for publication in this journal. Pure field agriculture studies such as those focusing on fertilizer application or yield optimization, without relevance to plant science, are also not within the scope of this journal.

Studies falling into the categories below will not be considered for review in this journal unless they are expanded and provide insight into the biological process being studied:

i) Descriptive collections of transcripts, proteins, or metabolites, including comparative sets as a result of different conditions or treatments;

ii) Descriptive studies that define gene families using pure phylogenetics and the assignment of cursory functional attributions (e.g. expression profiles, promoter analysis, and bioinformatic parameters).

Quantitative analysis needs to be performed on a minimum of three biological replicates in order to enable an assessment of significance. This includes quantitative omics studies (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) as well as phenotypic measurements, quantitative assays, and qPCR expression analysis. Studies that do not comply with these replication requirements will not be considered for review.

Studies using transgenic or mutant lines (plants and algae), for example, T-DNA, transposon, RNAi, CRISPR/Cas9, chemically induced, overexpressors and reporter fusions (GUS, GFPs, LUC), should be based on data from multiple alleles (minimum of two) displaying a common and stable phenotype. Qualitative data can be presented from a single allele but should be indicative of observations from multiple alleles which should be explicitly stated in the text. Quantitative data should be derived from multiple alleles (at least two) and should be displayed separately for each allele (with at least three independent replications for each allele). Studies reporting single alleles may be considered acceptable when:

i) Complementation via transformation is used for confirmation;

ii) The allele has been previously characterized and published, and is representative of multiple independent lines;

iii) In situations where genetic transformation is difficult or not yet possible, alternative evidence should be presented

Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/about

ISSN
1664-462X
Editor-in-Chief
Chun-Ming Liu (Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China) — Field Chief Editor
Established
2026

Sections

  • Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/aquatic-photosynthetic-organisms

  • Crop and Product Physiology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/crop-and-product-physiology

  • Functional Plant Ecology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/functional-plant-ecology

  • Functional and Applied Plant Genomics

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/functional-and-applied-plant-genomics

  • Photosynthesis and Photobiology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/photosynthesis-and-photobiology

  • Plant Abiotic Stress

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-abiotic-stress

  • Plant Bioinformatics

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-bioinformatics

  • Plant Biophysics and Modeling

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-biophysics-and-modeling

  • Plant Biotechnology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-biotechnology

  • Plant Breeding

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-breeding

  • Plant Cell Biology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-cell-biology

  • Plant Development and EvoDevo

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-development-and-evodevo

  • Plant Genetics, Epigenetics and Chromosome Biology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-genetics-epigenetics-and-chromosome-biology

  • Plant Membrane Traffic and Transport

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-membrane-traffic-and-transport

  • Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-metabolism-and-chemodiversity

  • Plant Nutrition

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-nutrition

  • Plant Pathogen Interactions

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-pathogen-interactions

  • Plant Physiology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-physiology

  • Plant Proteomics and Protein Structural Biology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-proteomics-and-protein-structural-biology

  • Plant Symbiotic Interactions

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-symbiotic-interactions

  • Plant Systematics and Evolution

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-systematics-and-evolution

  • Plant Systems and Synthetic Biology

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/plant-systems-and-synthetic-biology

  • Sustainable and Intelligent Phytoprotection

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/sustainable-and-intelligent-phytoprotection

  • Technical Advances in Plant Science

    Official section page: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/sections/technical-advances-in-plant-science

Article types accepted

  • Original Research
  • Systematic Review
  • Methods
  • Review
  • Mini Review
  • Policy and Practice Reviews
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Perspective
  • Data Report
  • Brief Research Report
  • General Commentary
  • Opinion
  • Correction
  • Editorial
  • Technology and Code
  • FAIR² Data

Fees and currencies

  • Article processing charges (official)
  • - Category A: CHF 3,150 — Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, Policy and Practice Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory, Technology and Code
  • - Category B: CHF 2,500 — Mini Review, Perspective, Data Report, Brief Research Report, General Commentary, Opinion
  • - Category C: CHF 0 — Correction, Editorial
  • Currency: CHF

Fees are charged only after acceptance. Waivers and discounts are available for authors with limited funding.

Fees and waivers policy

Editorial policies

Peer review

  • Official peer-review process: https://www.frontiersin.org/about/peer-review

Publication ethics

  • Policies and publication ethics: https://www.frontiersin.org/guidelines/policies-and-publication-ethics

Indexing

  • Astrophysics Data System (SAO/NASA ADS)
  • Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE)
  • CNPIEC
  • CNKI Scholar
  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
  • CLOCKSS
  • Crossref
  • Dimensions
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences GoOA
  • OpenAIRE
  • ResearchGate
  • EBSCO
  • DOAJ
  • Scopus
  • Web of Science Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)
  • PubMed
  • PubMed Central (PMC)
  • ZBMED
  • ProQuest

Affiliated societies

  • Committee on Publication Ethics
  • The Global Plant Council

Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/about

Instructions for authors

Accepted article types

  • Original Research (fee category A)
  • Systematic Review (fee category A)
  • Methods (fee category A)
  • Review (fee category A)
  • Mini Review (fee category B)
  • Policy and Practice Reviews (fee category A)
  • Hypothesis and Theory (fee category A)
  • Perspective (fee category B)
  • Data Report (fee category B)
  • Brief Research Report (fee category B)
  • General Commentary (fee category B)
  • Opinion (fee category B)
  • Correction (fee category C)
  • Editorial (fee category C)
  • Technology and Code (fee category A)
  • FAIR² Data

Author guidelines

  • https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/for-authors/author-guidelines

Peer review

  • https://www.frontiersin.org/about/peer-review

Journal metrics

Citation score
10.8
Impact indicator
1.60
Articles
50
Total views
0
Downloads
0
Citations
1,176,755

Internal metrics, calculated on this platform and maintained by the editorial office.

Official bibliometric indicators

Impact factor
5.9
CiteScore
10.8
Citations
1176755
Acceptance rate
33
Time to publication
98

Source: official publisher page · retrieved 2026-10-16

Some values were updated by the editorial office on 2026-10-21.