Journal profile · PLANT SCIENCES
Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants
ISSN 0971-5894 · eISSN 0974-0430 · Springer India · INDIA · 12 issues per year · Founded 2008
Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.57; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,890; median 201 days to acceptance (105 articles, last 24 months); 147 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants is published by Springer India and is in Zone 3 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 Plant Molecular Biology Research, together about 33.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims and scope Founded in 1995, Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants (PMBP) is a peer reviewed monthly journal co-published by Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society, India and Springer Nature. It contains research and review articles, short communications, commentaries, book reviews etc., in all areas of functional plant biology including, but not limited to plant physiology, biochemistry, molecular genetics, molecular pathology, biophysics, cell and molecular biology, genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. Its integrated and interdisciplinary approach reflects the global growth trajectories in functional plant biology, attracting authors/editors/reviewers from over 98 countries. Indexed by Clarivate-JCR (IF 3.4) and Scopus (IF 7.1) Scopus, ranked PMBP in top quartile of plant sc. journals globally Scopus: h index grew from 6 in 2008 to 58 at present In the top 5 Asian plant journals and top one-third globally Springer Nature recognition for Editorial Excellence for 3 yrs in a row Google Scholar: h index 79 and I10 index 1028 so far Google Scholar: >4000 avg. citations/yr in last 5 years, >7200 in 2023 Articles received from 76 countries in the last 3 years 6000+ registered peer reviewers from 100 countries globally Decision within 6 weeks by anonymous peer review Over 80% rejection rate, no handling/publishing charges ‘Online First’ publication within 2 weeks of acceptance Welcomes proposals for thematic special issues/sections Invites insightful review articles with novel perspectives Globally subscribed in 10,000 institutions across continents Over 210,009 downloads in 2023 Broad scope - a major resource for research & teaching Available in print & online through https://link.springer.com/journal/12298/volumes-and-issues Online submission at https://www.editorialmanager.com/pmbp/default.aspx
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PLANT SCIENCES
Editor-in-chief Nandula RaghuramPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named India 26, United States 3, Hungary 2, Mainland China 1, Taiwan, China 1 (36 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 Sciences16.4%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9.4%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.9%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Plant Gene Expression AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Plant responses to water stressAgricultural and Biological Sciences5%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.7%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| 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 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
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 AbstractsPublisher 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
- 3.57LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.83LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- h-index
- 28LetPub ·
- h-index
- 82OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,162OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.32OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 6.99%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 145LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 317,800Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,908 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 129 | 116 | 39 |
| 2025 | 147 | 124 | 514 |
| 2024 | 137 | 137 | 1,232 |
| 2023 | 137 | 137 | 1,428 |
| 2022 | 148 | 148 | 2,889 |
| 2021 | 201 | 201 | 4,645 |
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
201 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 139 days – 267 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (105 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 230 days
- Sample
- 105 articles with submission and acceptance dates (308 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
- Submission to first decision
- 20 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 3,890 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 3
Article types accepted19, with length limits
- book reviewThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …Length not stated
- book reviewsIn addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy debates, Conference reports, News & Views, Tributes, Perspectives, Book Reviews etc. that are publishe…Length not stated
- commentariesIn addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy debates, Conference reports, News & Views, Tributes, Perspectives, Book Reviews etc. that are publishe…Length not stated
- commentaryThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …Length not stated
- conference reportThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …Length not stated
- conference reportsIn addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy debates, Conference reports, News & Views, Tributes, Perspectives, Book Reviews etc. that are publishe…Length not stated
- editorialThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …Length not stated
- news & viewsIn addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy debates, Conference reports, News & Views, Tributes, Perspectives, Book Reviews etc. that are publishe…Length not stated
- original research articleThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …Length not stated
- perspectiveThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …Length not stated
- perspectivesIn addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy debates, Conference reports, News & Views, Tributes, Perspectives, Book Reviews etc. that are publishe…Length not stated
- policy debatesIn addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy debates, Conference reports, News & Views, Tributes, Perspectives, Book Reviews etc. that are publishe…Length not stated
- research articlesThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications.Length not stated
- reviewThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …Length not stated
- review articleThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …main text ≤ 3,000 words
- review articlesThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications.Length not stated
- short communicationThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications. In addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy …main text ≤ 2,000 words
- short communicationsThe journal primarily publishes original Research Articles, Review Articles and Short Communications.Length not stated
- tributesIn addition, a Forum section carries Commentaries, Policy debates, Conference reports, News & Views, Tributes, Perspectives, Book Reviews etc. that are publishe…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- 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 Authorship principles
Submissions must be made from a single registered account of the corresponding author. Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
Authors are required to disclose financial or non-financial interests related to the work. Model summary
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
All authors should make sure that all data and materials, as well as software application or custom code, support their published claims. Model summary
All authors are requested to make sure that all data and materials as well as software application or custom code support their published claims and comply with field standards.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Authors should refrain from misrepresenting research results. 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 ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals. Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
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 India
- Country or region
- INDIA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 12 issues per year
- Founded
- 2008
- ISSN
- 0971-5894
- Electronic ISSN
- 0974-0430
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 32, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants
What CAS zone is Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants is in Zone 3 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 Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.57; CiteScore 6.8, h-index 82.
How long does peer review take at Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants?
Based on the dates recorded on 105 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 201 days (interquartile range 139–267 days). 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 Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Required, 3. 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 Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants based?
Of the 36 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are India (26), United States (3) and Hungary (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants open access, and what is the APC?
Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,890.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .