Photosynthesis under Climatic Extremes

Dear Colleagues,

Photosynthesis is the major process leading to primary production on Earth. The process of photosynthesis is very dependent on environmental variables such as photoactive radiation, water availability, temperature, CO₂, salinity, etc. For most crop plants, change in the temperature and CO₂ extremes leads to considerable changes in leaf morphology and structure, dry matter of roots, stems, leaves, and whole plant, as well as the photosynthetic rate, transpiration, and stomatal conductance. Under climatic extremes such as temperature, drought, and CO₂, there is a need for thorough improvement in photosynthetic key limiting factors such as stomatal conductance, mesophyll conductance, biochemical capacity combined with RuBisCo, Calvin–Benson cycle, thylakoid membrane electron transport, non-photochemical quenching, and carbon metabolism or fixation pathways.

Furthermore, by evaluating photosynthetic efficiency traits such as chlorophyll contents, the quantum yield of PSII, proton motive force, ATP synthesis, and flow rate of H+ through ATP synthase and permeability of thylakoid membrane and ultimately seed yield, we can choose highly efficient crops for photosynthesis.

This Special Issue deals with different approaches to detecting, understanding, and improving the photosynthetic activity of different crops under extreme environmental conditions. In this very wide context, we invite investigators to submit original research articles that explore different topics on the overall photosynthetic process in relation to light intensity, temperature, and carbon balance, including but not limited to:

• Light harvesting and photoprotection in photosynthetic organisms;
• Nutrient uptake and photosynthetic efficiency of crops;
• Regulation of photosynthesis under a harmful environment;
• Regulation of light and dark phase of photosynthesis;
• Energy loss via downregulation of photochemistry;
• Alternative electron transport in the chloroplast and their role in the photosynthetic process;
• Biotechnological strategies to increase biomass productivity in higher plants or microalgae;
• Photoperiod-dependent cell signaling.

Dr. Sajad Hussain
Dr. Anshu Rastogi
Prof. Dr. Marian Brestic
Guest Editors

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• light-harvesting
• photoprotection
• photosynthesis
• electron transport in chloroplasts
• biomass productivity
• photoperiod-dependent cell signaling