Physiology and Production of Cash Crops: Seeking Ways to Increasing Productivity and Stabilizing Yield

Cotton, rape, soybeans, and peanuts are the most important cash crops worldwide, underpinning economies through their contributions to fiber, oil, and feed production. However, their productivity is increasingly threatened by abiotic stressors—drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and soil degradation—exacerbated by climate change. Enhancing productivity and yield stability in these crops has become a pressing challenge. While agronomic practices and abiotic stress management are central to improving and stabilizing yield, some specific measures and their underlying physiological mechanisms remain inadequately understood.

Our special issue focuses on improving crop yield and its stability in cash crops. It aims to elucidate physiological mechanisms and advanced cultivation strategies that enhance stress resilience and resource efficiency in production of these cash crops. The solutions that balance yield enhancement with ecological sustainability can be supplied to ensuring these crops meet future demands amidst changing climates.

In this Research Topic, we invite submissions of all article types published by Frontiers in Plant Science that contribute to the exchange of knowledge on any aspect related to enhancing productivity and stabilizing yield of these cash crops, particularly those that focus on:

1. Agricultural practices and mechanisms that improve the efficiency of resource use, such as water, radiation, and CO2, while reducing reliance on external energy inputs.

2. Mechanisms underlying the plant's responses to abiotic stressors, including high temperatures, cold stress, drought, high salinity, and combined stresses.

3. Strategies and underlying mechanisms to alleviate adverse stresses, including those associated with variety selection, cultivation practices, and chemical regulation.

Please note:
Descriptive studies that report responses of growth, yield or quality to agronomical treatments or abiotic stress will not be considered if they do not progress physiological understanding of these responses.
Experiments conducted in either field conditions or controlled environments are equally encouraged. For field experiments, studies should be replicated across at least two growing seasons or locations.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: cash crops, enhancing productivity, abiotic stress, agricultural practices, physiological mechanism

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.