Molecular and Physiological Mechanisms of Stress Adaptation in Perennial Horticultural Species

Perennial horticultural plants, such as grapevines, berries, and stone fruits, form a critical component of global agriculture but are frequently challenged by a range of abiotic and biotic stresses. These challenges, including drought, salinity, temperature extremes, heavy metal toxicity, and attacks by pathogens or herbivores, can drastically compromise plant growth, yield, and fruit quality. Beyond affecting productivity, such stresses have been shown to induce complex changes in plant metabolic profiles, notably impacting the synthesis of nutritionally important secondary metabolites such as phenolics and antioxidants. Recent advances in high-throughput molecular technologies—spanning genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics—have greatly expanded our knowledge of how horticultural plants sense and respond to stresses, including the roles of hormonal signaling networks, reactive oxygen species, transcriptional regulation, and epigenetic modifications. However, significant gaps remain in deciphering the integrated physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses, especially in the context of simultaneous exposure to multiple stresses and the resulting modulation of plant metabolism.This Research Topic aims to bridge the fragmented understanding of how horticultural plants recognize and adapt to overlapping stress factors at multiple biological levels. Central objectives include unraveling the complex crosstalk between phytohormone networks, reactive oxygen species dynamics, and secondary metabolite production under single and combined stress conditions, as well as dissecting genotype-dependent and epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to long-term plant resilience. By encouraging submissions that adopt integrative or multi-omics approaches, as well as those that focus on commercially relevant horticultural species, this Research Topic seeks to advance foundational plant biology and inform the development of more resilient crop management practices for future climates.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses experimental, computational, and review contributions that deepen our understanding of stress response integration in horticultural plants, with an emphasis on sustainable agricultural outcomes. While the primary focus is on physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes underpinning stress adaptation, studies leveraging multi-omics methods and those addressing both model and economically important species are highly welcomed. Key themes relevant to this topic include:- Signal perception and transduction pathways for abiotic and biotic stresses- Hormonal crosstalk and regulatory networks involved in stress adaptation- Roles of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant systems- Mechanisms of secondary metabolite biosynthesis and modulation under stress- Epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of stress memory- Plant–pathogen and plant–herbivore interactions at the molecular level- Integrative multi-omics analyses for unraveling stress responses- Genotype-specific and population-level variation in stress resilience- Applications for breeding or management to enhance stress tolerance in horticultural crops Topic editors: Harlene Mae Hatterman-Valenti, Ozkan Kaya Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80268/molecular-and-physiological-mechanisms-of-stress-adaptation-in-perennial-horticultural-species