# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-stress-responses-and-tolerance/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 emphasizes fundamental mechanisms like ROS and salt/drought stress while showing a marked shift towards plant-microbe interactions, advanced metabolomics, and crop-specific models like tomato. Traditional descriptive studies are giving way to deep physiological profiling and microbiome-assisted stress resilience.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 6,963 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Reactive oxygen species, salt stress, drought stress, Solanum lycopersicum |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 51–122 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved June 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Engineering source-sink relations by prime editing confers heat-stress resilience in tomato and rice | Huanchang Lou, Shujia Li, Zihang Shi, Yupan Zou, Yueqin Zhang, Xiaozhen Huang, Dandan Yang, Yongfang Yang, Zuoyao Li, Cao Xu | Xu Cao | Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Cell | 122 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.11.005 |
| 2 | Plant Adaptation to Drought Stress: The Role of Anatomical and Morphological Characteristics in Maintaining the Water Status | Seyed Morteza Zahedi, Mahdieh Karimi, Alessandro Venditti, Noreen Zahra, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Muhammad Farooq | Muhammad Farooq | University of Maragheh, Iran | Journal of soil science and plant nutrition | 93 | 10.1007/s42729-024-02141-w |
| 3 | Enhancing soil health to minimize cadmium accumulation in agro-products: the role of microorganisms, organic matter, and nutrients | Junliang Xin | Junliang Xin | Hunan Institute of Technology, China | Environmental Pollution | 87 | 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123890 |
| 4 | The mechanisms of photoinhibition and repair in plants under high light conditions and interplay with abiotic stressors | Fardad Didaran, Mojtaba Kordrostami, Ali Akbar Ghasemi-Soloklui, Pavel Pashkovskiy, Vladimir Kreslavski, Vladimir Kuznetsov, Suleyman I Allakhverdiev | Pavel Pashkovskiy | University of Tehran, Iran | Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B Biology | 84 | 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2024.113004 |
| 5 | Metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis revealed the response mechanism of alfalfa to combined cold and saline‐alkali stress | Lei Liu, Liang Si, Lishuang Zhang, Rui Guo, Ruixin Wang, Haimei Dong, Changhong Guo | Changhong Guo | Harbin Normal University, China | The Plant Journal | 69 | 10.1111/tpj.16896 |
| 6 | Mechanisms of calcium homeostasis orchestrate plant growth and immunity | Chao Wang, Ren-Jie Tang, Senhao Kou, Xiaoshu Xu, Yi Lu, Kenda Rauscher, Angela Voelker, Sheng Luan | Sheng Luan | University of California, Berkeley, United States | Nature | 67 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07100-0 |
| 7 | Silicon and iron nanoparticles protect rice against lead (Pb) stress by improving oxidative tolerance and minimizing Pb uptake | Fozia Ghouri, Samreen Sarwar, Lixia Sun, Muhammad Riaz, Fasih Ullah Haider, Humera Ashraf, Mingyu Lai, Muhammad Imran, Jingwen Liu, Shafaqat Ali, Xiangdong Liu, Muhammad Qasim Shahid | Shafaqat Ali, Xiangdong Liu, Muhammad Qasim Shahid | South China Agricultural University, China | Scientific Reports | 67 | 10.1038/s41598-024-55810-2 |
| 8 | A glutathione S-transferase regulates lignin biosynthesis and enhances salt tolerance in tomato | Luqiao Yuan, Jiao Dang, Jiayue Zhang, Linyang Wang, Hao Zheng, Guobin Li, Junxiao Li, Fan Zhou, Abid Khan, Zhengda Zhang, Xiaohui Hu | Zhengda Zhang, Xiaohui Hu | Northwest A&F University, China | PLANT PHYSIOLOGY | 65 | 10.1093/plphys/kiae504 |
| 9 | Stress-induced nuclear translocation of ONAC023 improves drought and heat tolerance through multiple processes in rice | Yu Chang, Yujie Fang, Jiahan Liu, Tiantian Ye, Xiaokai Li, Haifu Tu, Ying Ye, Yao Wang, Lizhong Xiong | Yujie Fang, Lizhong Xiong | Huazhong Agricultural University, China | Nature Communications | 63 | 10.1038/s41467-024-50229-9 |
| 10 | The temperature sensor TWA1 is required for thermotolerance in Arabidopsis | Lisa Bohn, Jin Huang, Susan Weidig, Zhenyu Yang, Christoph Heidersberger, Bernard Genty, Pascal Falter-Braun, Alexander Christmann, Erwin Grill | Alexander Christmann, Erwin Grill | Technische Universität München (TUM), Germany | Nature | 62 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07424-x |
| 11 | An AP2/ERF transcription factor confers chilling tolerance in rice | Liang Xu, Lijia Yang, Aipeng Li, Jiazhuo Guo, Huanyu Wang, Haoyue Qi, Ming Li, Pingfang Yang, Shiyong Song | Liang Xu, Lijia Yang, Aipeng Li, Jiazhuo Guo, Shiyong Song | Zhejiang University, China | Science Advances | 62 | 10.1126/sciadv.ado4788 |
| 12 | Effects of abiotic stress on chlorophyll metabolism | Xu Li, Wei Zhang, Di Niu, Xiaomin Liu | Xiaomin Liu | Beijing Forestry University, China | Plant Science | 58 | 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112030 |
| 13 | Structure and function of the <i>Arabidopsis</i> ABC transporter ABCB19 in brassinosteroid export | Wei Ying, Yaowei Wang, Hong Wei, Yongming Luo, Qian Ma, Heyuan Zhu, Hilde Janssens, Nemanja Vukašinović, Miroslav Kvasnica, Johan M Winne, Yongxiang Gao, Shutang Tan, Jiří Friml, Xin Liu, Eugenia Russinova, Linfeng Sun | Wei Ying, Yaowei Wang, Hong Wei, Yongming Luo, Xin Liu, Eugenia Russinova, Linfeng Sun | University of Science and Technology of China, China | Science | 56 | 10.1126/science.adj4591 |
| 14 | Dynamic interplay of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) in plant resilience: unveiling the signaling pathways and metabolic responses to biotic and abiotic stresses | Rekha Thiruvengadam, Baskar Venkidasamy, Maheswaran Easwaran, Hee Youn Chi, Muthu Thiruvengadam, Seung-Hyun Kim | Muthu Thiruvengadam, Seung-Hyun Kim | Saveetha University, India | Plant Cell Reports | 56 | 10.1007/s00299-024-03281-0 |
| 15 | Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses uncover the key pathways of <i>Limonium bicolor</i> in response to salt stress | Zhihui Zhu, Yuqing Zhou, Xiuyue Liu, Fanxia Meng, Chenhan Xu, Min Chen | Min Chen | Shandong Normal University, China | Plant Biotechnology Journal | 56 | 10.1111/pbi.14534 |
| 16 | Zinc oxide nanoparticles application alleviates salinity stress by modulating plant growth, biochemical attributes and nutrient homeostasis in Phaseolus vulgaris L | Aayushi Gupta, Rohit Bharati, Jan Kubes, Daniela Popelkova, Lukas Praus, Xinghong Yang, Lucie Severova, Milan Skalicky, Marian Brestic | Milan Skalický | Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czechia | Frontiers in Plant Science | 55 | 10.3389/fpls.2024.1432258 |
| 17 | Impact of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment on the Metabolic Profile of Medicinal Plants and Their Therapeutic Potential | Dana-Mihaela Asiminicesei, Daniela Ionela Ferţu, Maria Gavrilescu | Daniela Ionela Ferţu, Maria Gavrilescu | “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania | Plants | 54 | 10.3390/plants13060913 |
| 18 | A cytoplasmic osmosensing mechanism mediated by molecular crowding–sensitive DCP5 | Zhenyu Wang, Qiuhua Yang, Dan Zhang, Yuanyi Lu, Yichuan Wang, Yajie Pan, Yuping Qiu, Yongfan Men, Wei Yan, Zhina Xiao, Ruixue Sun, Wenyang Li, Hongda Huang, Hongwei Guo | Hongwei Guo | Southern University of Science and Technology, China | Science | 53 | 10.1126/science.adk9067 |
| 19 | Dual phosphorylation of DGK5-mediated PA burst regulates ROS in plant immunity | Liang Kong, Xiyu Ma, Chao Zhang, Sung-Il Kim, Bo Li, Yingpeng Xie, In-Cheol Yeo, Hem Thapa, Sixue Chen, Timothy P Devarenne, Teun Munnik, Ping He, Libo Shan | Xiyu Ma, Ping He, Libo Shan | University of Michigan, United States | Cell | 51 | 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.030 |
| 20 | <scp>CRISPR</scp>/Cas knockout of the <scp>NADPH</scp> oxidase gene <scp><i>OsRbohB</i></scp> reduces <scp>ROS</scp> overaccumulation and enhances heat stress tolerance in rice | Xiaolong Liu, Ping Ji, Jingpeng Liao, Ximiao Duan, Zhiyang Luo, Xin Yu, Chang-Jie Jiang, Chen Xu, Hongtao Yang, Bo Peng, Kai Jiang | Xiaolong Liu | Yichun University, China | Plant Biotechnology Journal | 51 | 10.1111/pbi.14500 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The literature on plant stress responses and tolerance for the Class of 2026 is heavily characterized by terms related to fundamental oxidative and osmotic stress management mechanisms. Leading concepts such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), salt stress, drought stress, and oxidative stress reflect a continued intense focus on how plants cope with harsh environmental conditions, particularly water deficit and salinity. Notably, model and crop species such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), and maize feature prominently, underscoring the balance between basic mechanistic research and translational applications for global food security. A growing emphasis on metabolic and physiological pathways is also apparent, with terms like antioxidant enzyme activity, metabolomics, chlorophyll fluorescence, and phytohormone signaling gaining traction. Additionally, the increasing presence of terms like plant growth-promoting bacteria and rhizosphere microbiome highlights a systemic shift towards understanding plant-microbe interactions as critical components of stress resilience. These findings collectively paint a picture of a field that is integrating molecular, physiological, and ecological perspectives to engineer and breed stress-tolerant crops.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

A comparative analysis of the concepts driving research reveals notable dynamic shifts between the Class of 2025 and the Class of 2026. The most striking increases are observed in specialized methodologies and specific plant interactions, such as chlorophyll fluorescence and rhizosphere microbiome research, which exhibited massive relative fold changes. The rapid rise of research on Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) highlights its growing role as a crucial crop model for stress tolerance. Furthermore, metabolic analysis approaches like metabolomics, and specific resilience traits like thermotolerance, have seen substantial upward trajectories, suggesting a shift from descriptive studies to deep metabolic profiling and extreme temperature adaptation. Conversely, some traditional broad topics like general oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species have shown slight relative declines or stabilization, indicating that the field is moving beyond identifying these phenomena towards dissecting specific stress signaling pathways. The prominent surge in plant growth-promoting bacteria indicates that leveraging the microbiome for stress mitigation is a rapidly accelerating frontier in agricultural biotechnology.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-stress-responses-and-tolerance/2026. Accessed 2026-10-28.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```