Field of Study – Biology (N 010)

Plant responses to adverse environmental conditions constitute a complex process involving multiple interconnected mechanisms. Despite extensive research in this field, the effectiveness of currently applied approaches across different plant species and diverse stress conditions remains insufficiently understood. Further studies are expected to contribute to the advancement of fundamental knowledge and the development of practically applicable strategies that will support sustainable agriculture, enhance crop yield, and improve plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions.

The aim of this study is to analyze plant adaptive responses to environmentally induced stress and to identify innovative and sustainable approaches to enhance stress tolerance.

The planned experiments will be conducted under controlled laboratory conditions using growth chambers. Adverse environmental conditions will be simulated during the study. The effects of modeled stress factors and growth regulators on the performance of economically important plant species will be evaluated using physiological, biochemical, and morphometric methods.

The presence of plant diseases is primarily indicated by visible plant characteristics (symptoms), upon which control measures against pathogens are implemented. In order to minimise damage to agricultural land as much as possible, it is important to identify disease hotbeds before symptoms appear. In the case of systemic plant diseases, where the pathogen spreads throughout the entire host organism, symptoms may become apparent very late or may not appear at all, while the plant itself becomes a long-term source of infection and, at the same time, more vulnerable. The identification of such infection sources requires large sample sizes, which significantly increases financial costs and labour time. Representatives of the suborders Auchenorrhyncha and Sternorrhyncha (leafhoppers, planthoppers, aphids) feed on the sap of plant vascular tissues and are the main vectors of systemic plant disease pathogens; therefore, they can serve as biosensors for the indirect detection of plant diseases in target ecosystems. In Lithuania, relatively few studies have been conducted on this group of insects, and these are limited to investigations of species diversity and the identification of specific pathogen vectors. There is also a lack of specialists in Lithuania with practical experience in collecting and identifying these insects. The data obtained during the research will expand knowledge on the aetiology of plant diseases, the species diversity of Auchenorrhyncha and Sternorrhyncha insects, and the host plants visited by the studied insects. Additionally, DNA barcoding of these insects will be carried out, and their associations with host plants will be established using next-generation sequencing technologies. A comparison of the diversity of microorganisms and insects in Lithuania and abroad will also be performed, which will help to more accurately predict and assess potential risks of pathogen spread.

Climate change and the intensification of environmental conditions pose challenges to plant productivity and survival. Due to unusual temperature fluctuations (including sudden frost episodes), drought, soil salinity, and heavy metal pollution, plants experience abiotic stress, which reduces yield and threatens food security. Therefore, it is essential to deepen knowledge on plant resistance mechanisms and develop innovative plant protection strategies.

Plants adapt to unfavorable environmental conditions through physiological, biochemical, and genetic mechanisms. In recent decades, there has been a growing number of studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of plant responses to abiotic stress (Rouphael & Colla, 2020). Significant attention is given to the functioning of the antioxidant system, signaling pathways (including phytohormones), gene expression, and metabolite analysis (Mittler, 2017; Verma et al., 2020). Alongside fundamental research on plant stress mechanisms, intensive studies are being conducted to explore genetic, physiological, biochemical, and agronomic modifications of these mechanisms. It is now crucial that these approaches are not only innovative but also sustainable (Zhao et al., 2021; Borrelli et al., 2018).The aim of this study is to analyze the physiological and biochemical responses of plants to abiotic stress and explore ways to enhance their tolerance. Molecular, cellular, and ecophysiological adaptations will be investigated during the doctoral studies, with particular attention to the activity of antioxidant systems, regulation of signaling pathways, and the search for innovative plant protection measures. It is expected that the research results will contribute to the expansion of fundamental knowledge and the development of practically applicable methods that will help ensure sustainable agriculture, higher yields, and plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions.

The planned research will be conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. The effects of model unfavorable environmental conditions and growth regulators on the functioning and productivity of economically valuable plants will be assessed using physiological-biochemical and morphometric methods.

The doctoral candidate is expected to participate in international events and training. The research findings will be disseminated at international scientific conferences and published in international scientific journals indexed in Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (CA WoS).

The impact of factors caused by climate change on the functioning of Earth’s organisms and the state of ecosystems is currently a globally relevant topic. Climate change is believed to cause more frequent extreme events, including heavy rainfall, strong winds, heat waves and droughts, which can disrupt plant growth and make plants more vulnerable. Climate change studies show that many plants will be more stressed and less productive in the future. It is predicted that the yield of agricultural crops may decrease by several tens of percent during hot growing seasons. Therefore, studying the reaction of plants to changing conditions is important not only in a fundamental, but also in a practical sense.

Studies have shown that higher than normal temperatures lead to physiological and morphological changes in the plant. They accelerate the life cycle of plants, plants mature faster, so the intensity of photosynthesis changes and the yield decreases. As the competitive conditions of plants change under the influence of climate change, there is a need to strengthen the vital powers of agricultural plants. There is a lack of information on how stressful conditions will affect the physiological responses of plants and what environmentally friendly measures can be useful to reduce the harmful effects on the formation of reproductive organs.

Research will be conducted under natural field conditions and model conditions in the laboratory. Biostimulants will be used to search for means of controlling the processes that determine the productivity of agricultural plants. The effects of model climate change conditions and biostimulants on the functioning and productivity of economically useful plants will be assessed using physiological-biochemical and morphometric methods. Modeling the forecasted climate conditions will allow to study the possible impact on the sustainability of the resource and to search for measures to protect it.

Participation of the doctoral student in international scientific events, courses, and trainings is expected. The results of the work will be published at international scientific conferences and published in Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (CA WoS) referenced scientific journals.