Mizzou scientists learn how plants protect themselves from multiple stressors

By Brian Consiglio

March 18, 2026
Contact: Brian Consiglio, [email protected]
Photos by Abbie Lankitus

Researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered certain proteins may be the key to saving plants' lives when multiple stressors hit at the same time. This knowledge may one day lead to crops that are more resistant to harsh conditions brought on by multiple stressors during the same growing seasons.

In a recent study, Mizzou scientists found that Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant that serves as a popular model organism for biology research, needs a specific protein to protect itself when exposed to simultaneous stress from excessive heat, sunlight and salty soil. The findings pave the way for scientists to better understand the underlying cellular biology that allows plants to survive even when hit by multiple stressors.

"Farmers may not have a great harvest season if their crops are hit by heat waves and flooding at the same time or by intense sunlight and drought at the same time," Ron Mittler, a Curators' Distinguished Professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and study author, said. "Instead of looking at how plants respond to certain stressors individually, our lab works to better understand how plants respond to multiple stressors occurring at the same time, since that is often the reality for farmers."

For years, Mittler has studied how plants respond to excess heat, sunlight, salty soil, drought, acidity and a toxic heavy metal called cadmium. In his lab at Bond Life Sciences Center, he exposes plants to these stressors in various combinations, then checks their underlying cellular biology to uncover clues to which proteins seem to play life-saving roles in certain situations.

In the recent study, he exposed three Arabidopsis plants to excessive heat, sunlight and salty soil. One was the wild plant; one had the specific protein, known as bHLH35, deleted or deactivated; and one was genetically altered to contain extra bHLH35 protein. After a day, the plant without the protein died, the wild-type plant was alive and the plant with extra bHLH35 appeared healthier.

The findings could pave the way for new strategies to genetically alter crops by gene editing or breeding, targeting specific proteins depending on which simultaneous threats crops encounter. But first, scientists must gain a better understanding of which proteins best protect plants facing simultaneous stressors, Mittler said.

"If one protein responds to a certain stressor on its own and another protein responds to a different stressor on its own, you might think both proteins would respond if those two stressors hit the plant at the same time," Mittler said. "But we are learning it might actually be a third protein that is trained specifically to perform life-saving duties for this specific simultaneous threat. That new way of thinking opens up a whole new world of opportunities for research."

By better understanding exactly how plants respond to multiple stressors simultaneously, scientists can spot targets for genetic alteration or breeding to ultimately help farmers grow more resistant crops.

"If drought and heat waves or flooding and heat waves keep happening in the future, often simultaneously, I want to help develop crops that are better suited to tolerate these conditions and remain high-yield for farmers," Mittler said. "Since farmers in Missouri often deal with multiple stressors hitting their plants at the same time, this research can benefit farmers throughout the state."

While the experimental plants used in this study weren't corn, soybean or wheat plants grown by farmers, the research provided an exciting proof of concept, he said.

"Since most crops have versions of this protein, it will be interesting to see how this discovery may impact the agriculture industry down the road," Mittler said.

The study, "bHLH35 mediates specificity in plant responses to multiple stress conditions," was published in Science Advances.