Journal profile · Plant Sciences
Planta
ISSN 0032-0935 · eISSN 1432-2048 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Monthly · Founded 1925
Planta: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.33; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,590; median 103 days to acceptance (116 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 37.5%; 305 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Planta is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms, Plant Molecular Biology Research and Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance, together about 30.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Planta publishes timely, sound, and complete articles on all aspects of plant biology. Works submitted for publication should contribute with new knowledge and further advance the state of the art.The journal welcomes original research on any plant species. Areas of interest include Biochemistry Bioenergy Biotechnology Cell biology Development and Evolution Ecological and environmental physiology Growth Metabolism Morphogenesis Molecular biology New methods Physiology Plant-microbe interactions Structural biology Systems biology Review articles summarize recent advances in topical areas of plant biology, and present novel insights and/or interpretations of recent advances.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Plant Sciences
Editor-in-chief Dorothea BartelsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 6%); most named Germany 9, United States 6, United Kingdom 4, Japan 4, Mainland China 3 (53 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology11.8%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.8%
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.9%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.2%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.1%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.2%
- Light effects on plantsAgricultural and Biological Sciences4%
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing SymbiosisAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.9%
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 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
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
MEDLINECASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, 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
- 4.33LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.11LetPub ·
- h-index
- 142LetPub ·
- h-index
- 266OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 13,835OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.78OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.74%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 295LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,024Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,600,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 17,127 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 272 | 92 | 151 |
| 2025 | 305 | 100 | 1,417 |
| 2024 | 288 | 85 | 2,565 |
| 2023 | 249 | 56 | 3,593 |
| 2022 | 247 | 59 | 4,695 |
| 2021 | 292 | 74 | 7,441 |
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
103 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 68 days – 146 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 12 days (116 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 116 days
- Sample
- 116 articles with submission and acceptance dates (629 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 2.3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 37.5%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 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 4,590 / EUR 3,590 / GBP 2,890 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,500 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- hypothesisPlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…Length not stated
- original articlePlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contribute new biological insights to areas within the journal's scope. They should take a…Length not stated
- original researchPlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…Length not stated
- perspectivePlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…main text ≤ 3,500 words · figures and tables ≤ 3 · references ≤ 30
- perspectivesPerspectives A scholarly discussion of primary research literature that does not meet the criteria for a review article. They are typically more focused than re…Length not stated
- reviewPlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…Length not stated
- review articlePlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews Authoritative, balanced, and scholarly synthesis of an area within the journal's scope. They should discuss not only the current state of the field, but…Length not stated
- short communicationPlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…main text ≤ 3,000 words · figures and tables ≤ 3
- short communicationsShort Communications Brief and concise report of small-scale studies. They should not exceed 3,000 words and 2-3 figures or tables.Length not stated
- viewpointPlanta publishes original research, reviews, short communications, and perspectives. Original Articles Complete and comprehensive report of research which contr…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 Contribution Statement
Authors must provide a short description of the contributions made by each listed author (please use initials). This will be published in a separate section in front of the Acknowledgments. For example: AM and DB conceived and designed research. AM and BB conducted experiments. GR contributed new reagents or analytical tools. AM and GR analyzed data. AM wrote the manuscript. All authors read and a…
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 statements
Data transparency: all authors must ensure data, materials, software, and code support published claims and comply with field standards. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
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
Copyright: Open Choice articles retain copyright with the author under a Creative Commons license. Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Planta, 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
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1925
- ISSN
- 0032-0935
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-2048
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Planta
What CAS zone is Planta in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Planta 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 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Planta?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.33; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 266.
How long does peer review take at Planta?
Based on the dates recorded on 116 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 103 days (interquartile range 68–146 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 37.5%”. 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 Planta?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,500 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Graphical abstract: 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 Planta based?
Of the 53 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (9), United States (6) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Planta?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Planta is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Planta open access, and what is the APC?
Planta is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,590.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .