Photosynthesis is a primary physiological and biochemical determinant of plant productivity and underpins global food security under changing environmental conditions. In natural and agricultural systems, plants are exposed to a wide range of abiotic stress factors, including contrasting water availability (drought and waterlogging), temperature extremes, salinity, fluctuating light, nutrient imbalances, air pollutants, and mechanical stress (e.g., wind). Biotic stresses, such as pathogen infection, may co-occur and further compromise plant performance under field conditions. These constraints, whether acting individually or in combination, can significantly impair photosynthetic efficiency, carbon assimilation, and ultimately plant growth and yield. Despite substantial progress, key knowledge gaps persist regarding how higher plants respond to individual stresses, as well as to their combined and dynamic interactions under challenging environmental conditions.

Recent advances highlight the importance of integrating physiological, biochemical, and metabolic inquiries to better understand plant performance under realistic environmental conditions. Mechanisms such as photoprotection, redox regulation, energy balance, and metabolic coordination are essential for sustaining photosynthetic function and limiting stress-induced damage, while preserving biomass production and quality (including protein, lipid, sugar, vitamin and mineral element content). A deeper understanding of these processes is crucial to improve plant resilience and productivity in the context of climate change.

This Research Topic aims to address how photosynthetic performance and plant productivity are regulated under multifactorial environmental stress conditions. It seeks to bridge the gap between controlled experimental studies and realistic environmental scenarios by promoting integrative research approaches that keep photosynthesis as the connecting thread across different levels of plant response. The goal is to identify key physiological and biochemical mechanisms that sustain plant performance under stress and to highlight strategies that can be leveraged to improve crop resilience, productivity and quality. By fostering contributions across different levels of organization, this Topic will advance our understanding of plant function in complex and dynamic environments.

This Research Topic welcomes all article types published by Frontiers in Plant Science, such as Original Research and Reviews that provide mechanistic insights into plant responses to abiotic and biotic stress, with a particular focus on photosynthesis and plant productivity. Studies may address photosynthetic processes directly or investigate related physiological, biochemical, or metabolic mechanisms, provided their relevance to plant performance is clearly established. Submissions regarding overviews on different kinds of stress, or integrating controlled and field-based approaches are especially encouraged.

Importantly, contributions are not required to include direct measurements of photosynthesis, as long as they offer clear mechanistic insight into photosynthesis, carbon assimilation, or related photobiological processes that shape plant productivity under stress. For example, studies addressing carbohydrate metabolism (e.g., sugar quantification and partitioning), source–sink relationships, or other processes related to photoassimilate production and utilization are within the scope of this Research Topic.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Photosynthetic efficiency, photoprotection, and photoinhibition under single/combined stresses

• Plant physiological and metabolic responses linking photosynthesis to productivity under stress

• Redox balance, ROS signaling, and energy regulation in stress acclimation

• Integration of leaf, whole-plant, and canopy-level responses

• Experimental approaches reflecting dynamic or realistic environmental conditions

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

Photosynthesis and Plant Productivity Under Multifactorial Stresses