Hormone-Induced Plant Stress Adaptation: Brassinosteroids and Beyond

Plants confront abiotic stressors, heavy metals, nutrient imbalance, salinity, temperature extremes, through hormone-centered signaling integrated with reactive oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur species (ROS/RNS/RSS). Brassinosteroids (BRs) are central coordinators of these responses, reshaping root and shoot architecture, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and restoring metabolic balance. Yet major questions remain on how BR signaling interfaces with reactive-species dynamics and with other hormones, ABA, auxin, ethylene, jasmonates, salicylic acid, cytokinins, strigolactones, among others, to produce specific morpho-physiological outcomes across development and environments.

This Research Topic places BRs at the core while explicitly inviting work that situates BR actions within broader hormonal networks. We seek studies that elucidate (i) stress perception and early signal transduction, (ii) developmental pathway integration (organ growth, meristems, vasculature, reproduction), and (iii) downstream structural/physiological adjustments that confer tolerance. A key aim is to translate mechanism into breeding, biotechnology, and agronomic strategies for resilient crops.

To gather further insights into these targeted molecular and physiological networks, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• BR-focused mechanisms: BR control of ROS/RNS/RSS production and scavenging; BR-mediated remodeling of root/shoot systems; links to ion homeostasis, redox balance, and metabolic reprogramming under heavy metals and related stresses.
• Hormone crosstalk: Interactions of BRs with ABA, auxin, ethylene, jasmonates, salicylic acid, cytokinins, and strigolactones in stress perception, signaling thresholds, and developmental decision-making.
• Development–stress integration: How hormone networks (led by BRs) coordinate organogenesis, meristem activity, vascular differentiation, and reproductive processes to enable plasticity under stress.
• Systems & omics approaches: Multi-omics, network inference, and modeling to map genes/pathways underlying morpho-anatomical plasticity and hormone–redox integration.
• Applied advances: Gene editing, biostimulants, tailored nutrition, and other interventions that leverage BR-centered hormone networks to mitigate toxicity and enhance resilience.
• Ecophysiology & scaling: Consequences of hormone–reactive-species interactions across developmental stages, genotypes, and environments.

We encourage the submission of original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and methods papers relevant to these themes.

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
• 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:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Brassinosteroid Signaling, Hormone Crosstalk, Reactive Oxygen And Nitrogen Species, Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Root–Shoot Plasticity, Hormone-Driven Crop Resilience

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.