Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?

In natural and field environments, plants are simultaneously exposed to a diverse set of stressful conditions, like biotic and abiotic stressors, and must respond accordingly. These interactions result in intricate cross-talk between hormonal pathways, microbial communities, and volatile organic com...

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Main Authors: Augusto B. Penteriche, Diego Z. Gallan, Marcio C. Silva-Filho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Plant Stress
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X25002313
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author Augusto B. Penteriche
Diego Z. Gallan
Marcio C. Silva-Filho
author_facet Augusto B. Penteriche
Diego Z. Gallan
Marcio C. Silva-Filho
author_sort Augusto B. Penteriche
collection DOAJ
description In natural and field environments, plants are simultaneously exposed to a diverse set of stressful conditions, like biotic and abiotic stressors, and must respond accordingly. These interactions result in intricate cross-talk between hormonal pathways, microbial communities, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), shaping plant fitness and resistance mechanisms. Recent studies demonstrate that multifactorial stress combinations often trigger unpredictable transcriptional and metabolic responses, distinct from those induced by individual stressors alone. How multiple simultaneous or sequential biotic stresses affect plant fitness and defense, however, have been less reported. Climate change and extreme weather events are intensifying the likeliness that these conditions strike simultaneously or in close sequence, and increase the complexity of stress responses. Still, our knowledge on the mechanisms of plant defense to concomitant or sequential biotic stresses remains critically limited. Findings from unifactorial plant defense studies are often hindered in their precise extrapolation to complex, multifactorial natural environments. Thus, plant research urgently needs to consider multifactorial and combinatorial stressors, dynamic microbial interactions, and ecological trade-offs in plant stress adaptation. Resilient crop development and sustainable agriculture under global warming profoundly depend on our characterization of the complex mechanisms and cross-talks involved. We believe it is time for research to shift towards more complex, realistic stress scenarios to improve the applicability of findings and strengthen crop resilience amidst evolving agricultural demands.
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spelling doaj-art-2e48c781ba064676a9880c9ca9d5c8962025-08-23T04:49:40ZengElsevierPlant Stress2667-064X2025-09-011710096310.1016/j.stress.2025.100963Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?Augusto B. Penteriche0Diego Z. Gallan1Marcio C. Silva-Filho2Departmento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, BrazilDepartmento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, BrazilCorresponding author at: Departamento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias 11, 13418-900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.; Departmento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, BrazilIn natural and field environments, plants are simultaneously exposed to a diverse set of stressful conditions, like biotic and abiotic stressors, and must respond accordingly. These interactions result in intricate cross-talk between hormonal pathways, microbial communities, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), shaping plant fitness and resistance mechanisms. Recent studies demonstrate that multifactorial stress combinations often trigger unpredictable transcriptional and metabolic responses, distinct from those induced by individual stressors alone. How multiple simultaneous or sequential biotic stresses affect plant fitness and defense, however, have been less reported. Climate change and extreme weather events are intensifying the likeliness that these conditions strike simultaneously or in close sequence, and increase the complexity of stress responses. Still, our knowledge on the mechanisms of plant defense to concomitant or sequential biotic stresses remains critically limited. Findings from unifactorial plant defense studies are often hindered in their precise extrapolation to complex, multifactorial natural environments. Thus, plant research urgently needs to consider multifactorial and combinatorial stressors, dynamic microbial interactions, and ecological trade-offs in plant stress adaptation. Resilient crop development and sustainable agriculture under global warming profoundly depend on our characterization of the complex mechanisms and cross-talks involved. We believe it is time for research to shift towards more complex, realistic stress scenarios to improve the applicability of findings and strengthen crop resilience amidst evolving agricultural demands.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X25002313Plant-multitrophic interactionsBiotic stressHolobiont
spellingShingle Augusto B. Penteriche
Diego Z. Gallan
Marcio C. Silva-Filho
Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?
Plant Stress
Plant-multitrophic interactions
Biotic stress
Holobiont
title Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?
title_full Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?
title_fullStr Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?
title_full_unstemmed Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?
title_short Is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research?
title_sort is it time to shift towards multifactorial biotic stress in plant research
topic Plant-multitrophic interactions
Biotic stress
Holobiont
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X25002313
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