Journal profile · Plant Sciences
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum
ISSN 0137-5881 · eISSN 1861-1664 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Quarterly · Founded 1997
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.26; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,090; median 337 days to acceptance (103 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 80%; 125 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance, Plant tissue culture and regeneration and Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms, together about 33.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum is an international journal established in 1978, and publishes peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of plant physiology. The coverage ranges across this research field at various levels of biological organization, from biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, whole-plant and their organs, to plants in the canopy. The journal welcomes studies which explore the physiological, biochemical, molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying plant function and adaptation. Topics which are of interest include, but are not limited to: Molecular and cellular physiology Photosynthesis and primary metabolism Secondary metabolism and stress signaling Omics and systems biology Plant growth and development Plant response to myriad stress factors Plant-microbe interactions Environmental and ecological physiology Phytoremediation and biotechnological aspects Acta Physiologiae Plantarum aims to publish research which brings our understanding of plant biology forward. Therefore, works which report pure observations and technical/computational protocols, deal solely with agricultural practice, and do not provide mechanistic insights are not in scope. The journal is also focused on living plants, so post-harvest biology is not in scope. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum is published on behalf of the Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Plant Sciences
Editor-in-chief Ewa NiewiadomskaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 13 in mainland China (about 21%); most named Mainland China 13, Poland 12, Italy 9, India 8, United States 4 (62 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences17.8%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9.3%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.1%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.7%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.2%
- Plant Micronutrient Interactions and EffectsAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.1%
- Plant responses to water stressAgricultural and Biological Sciences5%
- Seed Germination and PhysiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 2.26LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.49LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 56LetPub ·
- h-index
- 126OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,947OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.8OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.91%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 123LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 488,200Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,672 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 87 | 19 | 11 |
| 2025 | 125 | 32 | 275 |
| 2024 | 111 | 14 | 620 |
| 2023 | 133 | 16 | 948 |
| 2022 | 154 | 15 | 1,565 |
| 2021 | 179 | 21 | 2,701 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
337 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 207 days – 489 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (103 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 353 days
- Sample
- 103 articles with submission and acceptance dates (244 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 4.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 80%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 24 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,090 / EUR 2,490 / GBP 2,190 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,500 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- opinionOriginal ArticlesThe word count for the main text (including Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgements) should not exceed 6…Length not stated
- opinion papersOpinion Papers The journal does not publish protocols or technical notes.Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal Articles The word count for the main text (including Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgements) should not exceed …Length not stated
- protocolOriginal ArticlesThe word count for the main text (including Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgements) should not exceed 6…Length not stated
- reviewOriginal ArticlesThe word count for the main text (including Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgements) should not exceed 6…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews Please contact the Editor-in-Chief before submitting a manuscript.Length not stated
- short communicationOriginal ArticlesThe word count for the main text (including Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgements) should not exceed 6…main text ≤ 3,000 words
- short communicationsShort Communications Please combine the Results and Discussion section. 1-2 figures/tables are allowed. The maximum word count for Short Communications is 3000 …Length not stated
- technical noteOriginal ArticlesThe word count for the main text (including Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgements) should not exceed 6…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Author Contributions Statement
LLMs cannot be authors Model summary
Authors are expected to provide a short description of the contributions made by each listed author. It will be published in a separate section in front of the Acknowledgments. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability
The journal encourages authors to provide a statement of Data availability in their article. Data availability statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether data are av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Open Choice open access option with Creative Commons license Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1997
- ISSN
- 0137-5881
- Electronic ISSN
- 1861-1664
- Society / sponsor
- Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Acta Physiologiae Plantarum
What CAS zone is Acta Physiologiae Plantarum in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Acta Physiologiae Plantarum is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Acta Physiologiae Plantarum?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.26; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 126.
How long does peer review take at Acta Physiologiae Plantarum?
Based on the dates recorded on 103 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 337 days (interquartile range 207–489 days); authors report an average review time of about 4.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 80%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Acta Physiologiae Plantarum?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,500 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Acta Physiologiae Plantarum based?
Of the 62 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 13 (about 21%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (13), Poland (12) and Italy (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Acta Physiologiae Plantarum?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Acta Physiologiae Plantarum is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Acta Physiologiae Plantarum open access, and what is the APC?
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,090.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-24). Last updated: .