Enhancing Urban Plant Resilience to Abiotic Stressors

Climate change is particularly severe in urban environments, subjecting plants to intense abiotic stress that can compromise their survival. Conversely, there is growing interest in urban green spaces to improve the characteristics of the city environment through the ecosystem services that plants provide. To increase the presence of plants in cities and enhance the benefits they offer, green infrastructure, such as roof, rain, and pocket gardens, are becoming increasingly common. However, in these green spaces, certain intrinsic factors (such as low substrate depth, substrate composition, and irrigation challenges) intensify the abiotic stress experienced by plants. This underscores the importance of studying plant responses to abiotic stresses in urban settings to identify more tolerant genotypes and develop technical interventions that can mitigate the adverse effects of these stresses.

Urban areas can be anthropized in various ways; often, high population densities lead to increased pollution and elevated temperatures, known as the urban heat island effect. Furthermore, access to irrigation water is often limited in cities. These factors collectively increase the abiotic stress to which plants are exposed in urban environments. Abiotic stresses are, in fact, the primary limiting factor for plant growth in urban and peri-urban areas. Ornamental plants used in green infrastructure represent important living components of urban ecosystems and, when appropriate species are selected, can provide valuable ecosystem services. Identifying and utilizing tolerant ornamental species can reduce management costs and help preserve the aesthetic value of green spaces. Plant tolerance to abiotic stress can also enhance the ecosystem services provided by these plants in urban settings. The ability to identify the mechanisms by which different plant species tolerate or avoid stress is highly useful for enhancing urban plant resilience. Additionally, increasing abiotic stress tolerance through genetic and agronomic strategies offers promising opportunities to improve urban vegetation sustainability.

This research topic aims to review the current knowledge regarding the abiotic stresses experienced by plants in urban environments and the strategies that can be implemented to enhance their resilience to these stresses. Particular attention will be given to the morphological and physiological adaptations employed by plants, as well as to better define the tools capable of increasing plant tolerance to the most common abiotic stresses in urban settings. Various types of manuscripts are welcome, including original research, reviews, and short communications. All approaches to this issue are valuable for establishing a comprehensive framework of knowledge on a strategic aspect of human well-being, which in cities depends significantly on the availability of suitable green infrastructure.

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
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Article types

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

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: green infrastructures, ornamental plants, stress responses, climatic change, drought stress, pollution, plant selection, biodiversity, biostimulants

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.