Distinct proteins that are main actors in neurotransmission in animals exist also in other living organism. Extensive studies in plants revealed an involvement of these so-called glutamate receptors in fundamental signalling events covering the whole plant life cycle. This review presents a comprehensive theory of their role in Arabidopsis thaliana by compiling, condensing and re-evaluating more than 15 years of research.

Rising atmospheric CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]) directly affects plants, having consequences for crop yields and water use. The Giessen free air CO₂ enrichment facility allows simulation of the response of a mixed species temperate grassland to likely [CO₂] levels over the next 20–30 years. Higher [CO₂] caused increased spring biomass production due to stimulation of photosynthesis and reduction of respiration in the plant species.

Breeding crops for water conservation leads to hotter leaves under hot, high-light conditions and thus, the potential for heat-related damage or photoinhibition to the photosynthesis apparatus. However, damaging temperatures were not reached in soybeans under soil water deficits or high air temperature, and no sign of prolonged photosynthetic damage was evident. It appears that for the broad range of conditions measured in this study, water conservation did not have negative consequences on photosynthetic capacity.

Long-lasting floods in lowland areas of salt marshes are expected as a consequence of global warming. We assessed the ability of Spartina densiflora plants collected from lowlands and uplands along a subtle topographic gradient of a salt marsh to deal with saline flooding. A better performance in favour of lowland plants in adventitious rooting and root ion regulation indicated the presence of locally adapted populations.

Terminal drought is the most detrimental abiotic stress affecting wheat grain yield in Mediterranean-type environments. When terminal drought was initiated by withholding water from the top segment of a split pot, wheat genotype with more root density distributed in the drying upper soil layer initiated stomatal closure earlier than the other. The results highlight the importance of stomatal regulation and root efficiency to extract water from deeper soil profile to reduce yield gap under terminal drought.

In this work we used halophyte species Chenopodium quinoa to investigate the causal relationship between salinity and oxidative stress tolerance in plants. The most dramatic changes observed were in rutin, a flavonoid with non-enzymatic antioxidant activity. Exogenous application of rutin to glycophyte bean leaves improved tissue tolerance by mitigating reactive oxygen species-induced K⁺ efflux from the cell.