Physiological, molecular, and metabolic adaptations of plants to combined salinity and high irradiance stress.

Abstract

Global warming is expected to drive climate change, intensifying extreme weather events and aggravating stress conditions for plants due to the heightened frequency and severity of environmental factors. Among these stresses, the interplay of salinity and high irradiance is particularly critical, as it poses significant threats to crop productivity, food quality, and overall global food security. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the physiological, molecular, and metabolic responses of various plant species to salinity (S), high irradiance (HL), and their combined stress (S + HL), highlighting the adaptative mechanisms plants employ to mitigate these adverse conditions. This study integrates in silico data, focusing on gene expression profiles and functional classification using Gene Ontology (GO) terms and analysis of transcription factor (TF) families such as MYB, WRKY and bHLH. Alongside gene expression data, we incorporated analyses of growth, development, and metabolism profiles across different species exposed to S, HL and S + HL. The findings point to adaptive mechanisms crucial for resilience, including reconfigurations in gene expression patterns, metabolic pathways and phytohormone profiles, demonstrating their potential in the development of climate-resilient crops. This review offers a framework for further research into multi-stress adaptation strategies. In addition, the importance of advancing crop resilience through these insights, contributing to the development of innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture in a rapidly changing climate, is outlined.