Abiotic Stress of Crops: Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Climate change and adverse soil conditions impose substantial abiotic stress on crops, presenting a major challenge to agricultural productivity and global food security. Advances in molecular genetics and genomics have enabled extensive genetic analysis and crop improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing abiotic stress tolerance, leading to significant achievements. This reprint comprises 13 articles focusing on abiotic stress in crops, including 10 research studies that investigate the response mechanisms of wheat, rice, maize, cotton, common bean, and Kentucky Bluegrass to various stresses (such as drought, heat, frost, salinity, and cadmium contamination), along with three review articles that synthesize research and technological advances in improving abiotic stress tolerance. These contributions provide key insights and a molecular foundation for molecular breeding and improvement of crops with enhanced abiotic stress tolerance.