Exploring Cold Tolerance and Stress in Plants

Cold tolerance in plants is a vital focus within the field of plant abiotic stress research, as extremely low temperatures severely restrict the development of plants. As climate variability becomes more pronounced, understanding plant responses to cold stress is essential for agricultural resilience and ensuring food security. Cold stress can detrimentally affect plant growth and yield, leading to significant agricultural losses. The complexity of physiological and molecular plant responses to cold conditions necessitates continued exploration to uncover critical mechanisms that enable or enhance cold resilience, including the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants. Moreover, cold stress interferes with the reproductive biology of plants, leading to pollen and ovule sterility, directly contributing to yield losses.

Recent research has highlighted adaptive plant responses to cold, such as identifying key genes responsible for cold tolerance, the production of cryoprotective substances, and alterations in cellular pathways. Innovations in understanding have brought to light receptor-like kinases (RLKs), which are believed to play a pivotal role in signaling the plant’s response to cold, alongside hormonal stress responses. Epigenetic regulation, including DNA and RNA methylation, has emerged as a significant area of interest. Despite these advancements, there are still notable gaps in comprehending the integrated pathways and interactions at play across varying plant species facing chilling and freezing temperatures. Changes in lipid compositions, which are not yet well understood, present another critical area for investigation. A more robust understanding is needed to inform innovative strategies that improve plant growth under cold stress, particularly in addressing the challenges faced during reproductive stages.

This Research Topic aims to deepen the understanding of plant cold tolerance mechanisms and translate this knowledge into practical applications. By concentrating on cutting-edge research, this topic seeks to tackle vital questions surrounding epigenetic modifications in cold acclimation, the influence of climate change on cold stress responses, and the identification of novel genetic resources for breeding cold-tolerant varieties. This focus hopes to inspire collaboration and pioneering approaches to bolster plant resilience against cold stress. Additionally, we encourage integrated omics analyses to provide a comprehensive understanding of the plant response mechanisms, with an emphasis on genes associated with cold tolerance.

To gather further insights into plant cold tolerance, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Molecular and physiological mechanisms of cold acclimation and cold tolerance

• Role of signal molecules and hormones in cold stress responses

• Genes associated with cold tolerance

• Integrated omics analyses of cold stress responses

• Climate change and cold stress in plants

• Genetic and genomic approaches in breeding for cold tolerance, including epigenetic regulation

• Innovative technologies and the use of exogenous substances and beneficial microorganisms for enhancing cold resilience

We encourage a variety of article types, including original research, reviews, and perspectives, that contribute to a deeper understanding of plant cold tolerance.

Article types and fees

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

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... 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:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Cold Tolerance, Cold Stress, Climate change, Cold acclimation, Plant stress, Plant-environment interactions

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.