Journal profile · PLANT SCIENCES
Plant Stress
ISSN 2667-064X · Elsevier · Netherlands
Plant Stress: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.1 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,640; review about 95 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 482 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Plant Stress is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 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-Microbe Interactions and Immunity and Plant Molecular Biology Research, together about 37.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Plant Stress deals with plant (or other photoautotrophs, such as algae, cyanobacteria and lichens) responses to abiotic and biotic stress factors that can result in limited growth and productivity. Such responses can be analyzed and described at a physiological, biochemical and molecular level. Experimental approaches/technologies aiming to improve growth and productivity with a potential for downstream validation under stress conditions will also be considered. Both fundamental and applied research manuscripts are welcome, provided that clear mechanistic hypotheses are made and descriptive approaches are avoided. In addition, high-quality review articles will also be considered, provided they follow a critical approach and stimulate thought for future research avenues.Plant Stress welcomes high-quality manuscripts related (but not limited) to interactions between plants and:Lack of water (drought) and excess (flooding),Salinity stress,Elevated temperature and/or low temperature (chilling and freezing),Hypoxia and/or anoxia,Mineral nutrient excess and/or deficiency,Heavy metals and/or metalloids,Plant priming (chemical, biological, physiological, nanomaterial, biostimulant) approaches for improved stress protection,Viral, phytoplasma, bacterial and fungal plant-pathogen interactions.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PLANT SCIENCES
Editor-in-chief Vasileios FotopoulosPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 15 in mainland China (about 20%); most named Italy 18, Mainland China 15, United States 9, Hungary 4, Cyprus 4 (74 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 Sciences21.2%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.9%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.4%
- Plant responses to water stressAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.3%
- Plant Gene Expression AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.9%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.8%
- Plant Micronutrient Interactions and EffectsAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 8.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 9.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.52LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.57LetPub ·
- h-index
- 62OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 518OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.68OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 443LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,551 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 354 | 354 | 279 |
| 2025 | 482 | 482 | 2,785 |
| 2024 | 380 | 380 | 6,269 |
| 2023 | 209 | 209 | 6,272 |
| 2022 | 73 | 73 | 2,914 |
| 2021 | 51 | 51 | 2,207 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
95 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 16 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 16 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 95 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 16 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 2,640 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,310 / EUR 2,160 / GBP 1,850 / JPY 286,510 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,400 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,250 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
- Plant Eustress: Mechanisms, Metabolic Reprogramming, and Applications for Crop Quality and Climate ResilienceDeadline
- Emerging molecular networks of phytohormone signaling governing abiotic stress resilience in plantsDeadline
- Plant Response to Drought and Combined with Other Abiotic Stresses: Physiological, Molecular, and Genetic Mechanisms of ToleranceDeadline
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 2,000 words
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted14
- hypothesisThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- opinionThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- original researchThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- regular papersRegular papers Original research papers should report the results of original research.Length not stated
- research articleThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- research paperThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- reviewThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- review articleThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles Review articles are encouraged.Length not stated
- short communicationThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
- short communicationsShort Communications Short Communications should present novel and complete studies that warrant rapid publication prior to a more extensive full-length investi…Length not stated
- spotlightSpotlight Spotlight articles highlight emerging frontiers and transformative breakthroughs in plant stress research.Length not stated
- viewpointThe journal welcomes basic and applied research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, spotlight articles, and opinion articles. All submit…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2667-064X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Plant Stress
What CAS zone is Plant Stress in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Plant Stress is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Plant Stress?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 8.1; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 9.8, h-index 62.
How long does peer review take at Plant Stress?
The publisher reports about 95 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 16 weeks. 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 Plant Stress?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 2,000 words; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Cover letter: Required. 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 Plant Stress based?
Of the 74 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 15 (about 20%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Italy (18), Mainland China (15) and United States (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Plant Stress?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Plant Stress is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Plant Stress open access, and what is the APC?
Plant Stress is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,640.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .