Understanding stress physiology and molecular response mechanisms in plants is essential for improving crop production and quality, particularly under environmental stress. Allium crops, including onions, garlic, and leeks, are vital in global agriculture but face significant challenges from biotic (disease, pest, viruses) and abiotic (drought, salinity, waterlogging, and temperature extremes and nutrient deficiency) stresses. Despite their economic and nutritional importance, the physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning stress responses in Allium crops remain underexplored compared to other major crop species. Bridging this knowledge gap is critical to enhance sustainable production and ensure post-harvest quality.

This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of the physiological and molecular responses of Allium crops to both biotic and environmental stresses. By integrating physiological regulation, environmental interactions, plant-pathogen interactions, and sustainable practices, we seek to provide insights that can improve crop resilience, yield, and post-harvest quality. The objective is to develop a mechanistic understanding of how stress influences Allium crop production and to identify actionable strategies for mitigating these effects.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions focusing on physiological and molecular insights that directly enhance our understanding of Allium crop production and quality, particularly under stress conditions. Relevant areas include, but are not limited to:

• Stress Physiology and Crop Performance: Exploring the impact of abiotic stresses on Allium crop physiology and their implications for pre- and post-harvest product quality.

• Disease and Pest Infection Response: Investigating physiological and molecular responses to biotic stresses, including pathogens and pests, and their management. This includes identifying pathogen-specific response pathways, plant defense mechanisms, and the role of resistance genes in mitigating biotic stress. Further emphasis is placed on understanding vector-pathogen-host dynamics, signaling pathways triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and effector proteins in Allium crops.

• Molecular Pathology: Elucidating molecular interactions between Allium crops and pathogens, with a focus on the identification of virulence factors, plant immunity pathways, and transcriptomic and proteomic changes during infections. Studies on the epigenetic regulation of defense responses and the role of secondary metabolites in pathogen resistance are particularly encouraged.

• Molecular Mechanisms: Identifying stress-responsive genes, proteins, and metabolites that regulate Allium crop production and resilience.

• Physiological Regulation: Investigating the role of hormonal signaling, nutrient transport, and epigenetic modifications in stress responses.

• Scaling Insights Across Biological Levels: Bridging the understanding of stress physiology from molecular, cellular, and tissue levels to the whole plant and crop scales.

• Environmental Interactions: Examining how cultivation techniques and environmental factors influence Allium crop physiology and their combined effects on yield and quality.

• Innovative Approaches: Leveraging transgenic technologies, CRISPR/Cas9, or other advanced molecular tools to enhance stress resilience and post-harvest product quality in Allium crops.

Submissions should include robust experimental designs with quantitative analyses based on a minimum of three biological replicates. Studies must contribute novel physiological insights rather than descriptive data alone. Research focusing on transgenic or mutant lines must meet replication requirements and ensure data is derived from multiple alleles, where applicable.

This Research Topic emphasizes sustainable agricultural practices, supporting SDG goals for sustainable agriculture (SDG 2), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and climate action (SDG 13). Studies addressing these objectives through the lens of Allium crop physiology are particularly encouraged.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Insights into the Molecular Dynamics of Stress Physiology in Allium Crops