Plant Growth Regulation and Stress Response

Plant growth regulation and stress response encompass the dynamic processes by which plants integrate internal hormonal cues with environmental signals to orchestrate development, physiological adaptation and resilience. Central to this regulatory network are plant growth regulators—both endogenous hormones such as auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and salicylic acid and synthetic analogues—that modulate key processes including cell division, elongation, root architecture and senescence. Under abiotic stress conditions such as drought, salinity or nutrient limitation, hormonal balances shift to activate stomatal closure, osmotic adjustment and antioxidant defences to mitigate damage from reactive oxygen species. Root morphological plasticity, mediated by auxin–abscisic acid crosstalk, allows exploration of deeper soil layers for water and nutrients, while leaf-based responses regulate transpiration and photosynthetic efficiency. Advances in molecular biology and omics have uncovered complex signalling hubs and transcriptional networks that fine-tune stress responses, offering new avenues for the improvement of water use efficiency, yield stability and climate resilience in diverse crop and forestry species.

Research from Nature Portfolio

In maize grown under semi-arid field conditions, application of a triazole-based growth retardant was shown to enhance root morphological traits, including root-length density and surface area, leading to increased root-bleeding sap, improved ear characteristics and grain yield. This work demonstrated that targeted modulation of hormone biosynthesis can optimise root–shoot allocation and bolster yield under water-limited environments. In tomato subjected to deficit irrigation, the same regulator reduced plant height, refined root architecture and upregulated antioxidant and metabolic pathways, while also altering gene expression in stress-related cycles. This integrative study revealed that chemical modulation of hormonal pathways can significantly improve water use efficiency and stress tolerance through coordinated morphological and molecular adjustments.

Plant Growth Regulation and Stress Response publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in plant growth regulation and stress response across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Plant Growth Regulators: Endogenous hormones or synthetic compounds that influence plant development, growth and stress responses.

Abscisic Acid (ABA): A plant hormone central to stress signalling, promoting stomatal closure and osmotic adjustment under drought.

Auxin: A class of hormones primarily involved in cell elongation, root initiation and directional growth responses.

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS): Highly reactive molecules formed under stress that can damage cellular structures unless scavenged by antioxidants.

Water Use Efficiency (WUE): The ratio of biomass or yield produced per unit of water consumed, reflecting adaptation to water scarcity.

References

1. Application of paclobutrazol affect maize grain yield by regulating root morphological and physiological characteristics under a semi-arid region. Scientific Reports (2018).
2. Paclobutrazol induces tolerance in tomato to deficit irrigation through diversified effects on plant morphology, physiology and metabolism. Scientific Reports (2016).
3. The effect of foliar application of plant growth regulators on functional and qualitative characteristics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under salinity and drought stress conditions. Applied Water Science (2024).
4. Regulation of soybean drought response by mepiquat chloride pretreatment. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023).
5. Paclobutrazol Promotes Root Development of Difficult-to-Root Plants by Coordinating Auxin and Abscisic Acid Signaling Pathways in Phoebe bournei. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).