Multi-Scale Mechanisms of Stress Resistance Leading to Agriculture and Ecosystem Insights

Drought and salinity, as well as other stress factors that alter plant water status, limit agricultural productivity and are major factors determining the fate of plant ecosystems. Despite increasing concern about these abiotic stresses, we have limited understanding of how plants sense and respond to changes in water status or salinity. This lack of knowledge restricts the use of tools such as gene editing to optimize plants for future agriculture where water supply is limited and may become less predictable. Better understanding of plant stress biology can also help predict how plant ecosystems will respond in the future. The 2026 Salt and Water Stress GRC will highlight recent advances in the fundamental biology of abiotic stress sensing and signaling along with whole plant water relations and physiology, roles of plant-associated microbes in abiotic stress resistance, and evolutionary adaptations to chronically dry or saline environments. We will also continue the ongoing discussion from recent Salt and Water Stress GRCs on how to best bridge gaps between fundamental to application-driven research and onward to plant improvement for the next decades and beyond. The program will include a mix of disciplines and mix of established and early career researchers.