From Omics Investigation to Mechanistic Insight: Integrating Metabolic and Regulatory Responses Across Combined Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Plants

Plants in natural and agricultural environments rarely face environmental constraints in isolation. Biotic stresses — including infections by fungi, bacteria, viruses, and pests — frequently coincide with abiotic challenges such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes, nutrient imbalance, and oxidative stress. The phenotypic outcome of these compounded pressures depends on how plants integrate diverse signals into coordinated molecular and physiological responses, balancing growth, defense, and adaptation under often conflicting demands.Traditional plant stress research has frequently relied on reductionist designs centred on single stressors or isolated molecular layers. While these studies have identified key regulatory components, they offer only a partial view of the dynamic reprogramming triggered by real-world stress combinations. Mounting evidence shows that biotic and abiotic stresses jointly remodel transcriptional regulation, protein dynamics, post-translational modifications, and metabolic networks, with direct consequences for plant performance and resilience.High-throughput omics technologies — transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and (epi)genomics — have transformed the field by enabling system-wide profiling of stress responses. Among these, metabolomics holds a uniquely integrative position, capturing the convergent output of upstream regulatory processes and reflecting how plants reallocate resources under stress. Yet the rapid accumulation of omics datasets has also exposed a recurring limitation: a gap between data generation and biologically meaningful interpretation, with many studies remaining largely descriptive.The goal of this Research Topic is to shift the focus of plant stress research from descriptive omics inventories toward causal, mechanism-driven understanding of how plants respond to combined biotic and abiotic stresses. By bringing together studies that use metabolomics as an integrative lens — alone or coupled with complementary omics layers — we aim to uncover regulatory hierarchies and points of convergence linking stress perception to phenotypic outcomes, and to distinguish shared from stress-specific molecular signatures across species, genotypes, and stress combinations. We further seek to clarify the metabolic and regulatory basis of growth–defense trade-offs and adaptive resource allocation, to bridge the gap between high-throughput data and functional, biologically meaningful interpretation, and to contribute mechanistic knowledge that can inform strategies for improving plant resilience under climate change and intensifying agricultural pressures. We particularly encourage comparative, cross-species, and cross-stress analyses, as well as studies addressing the functional relevance of stress cross-talk under realistic, multifactorial conditions.We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods, Hypothesis & Theory, and Perspective articles addressing — but not limited to — the following:• Integrative multi-omics studies of combined biotic and abiotic stress responses, with metabolomics as a unifying or anchor layer• Functional interpretation of stress-responsive metabolic and regulatory networks beyond cataloguing• Cross-talk between biotic and abiotic signaling pathways, including hormonal, redox, and metabolic nodes of convergence• Post-translational modifications and protein-level dynamics in stress integration• Comparative analyses across species, genotypes, or stress combinations to uncover shared strategies and trade-offs• Growth–defense trade-offs and the metabolic cost of resilience• Phenotypic and field-level validation of omics-derived candidates under sequential or simultaneous stresses• Computational and systems-biology frameworks linking omics signatures to predictive, mechanistic models of stress response-------We welcome contributions from researchers across the field, and we are glad to support you as you prepare your submission. If you would like early feedback on whether your planned manuscript fits the scope of this Research Topic, please write to us at plantscience@frontiersin.org before submitting. A quick check at this stage helps confirm your work is a strong fit and can save you time later in the process.To take part, click “Participate in this topic” at the top right of this page, then confirm through the “Participate” link in the follow-up email. This lets us know to expect your contribution, keeps you informed of key deadlines, and gives you access to resources that guide you through submission. We look forward to your participation and to building a vibrant, cohesive Research Topic together. Topic editors: Samuele Risoli, Rainer Schuhmacher, Luigi Lucini, David Overy, Leilei Zhang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83319/from-omics-investigation-to-mechanistic-insight-integrating-metabolic-and-regulatory-responses-across-combined-biotic-and-abiotic-stresses-in-plants