Journal profile · PLANT SCIENCES
Tropical Plant Biology
ISSN 1935-9756 · eISSN 1935-9764 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · 4 issues per year · Founded 2008
Tropical Plant Biology: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.1; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,890; median 139 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); 70 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Tropical Plant Biology is published by Springer US 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 Sugarcane Cultivation and Processing, Plant Molecular Biology Research and Plant Gene Expression Analysis, together about 23.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Tropical Plant Biology publishes research that advances scientific understanding of tropical plants. We welcome studies in plant development, physiology, evolution, phylogenomics, genetics, cellular and molecular biology, genomics, ecological genomics, molecular breeding, and related disciplines. The journal particularly seeks research that provides new insights into biological concepts and mechanisms, including how tropical plants develop, function, interact with their environment and other organisms, adapt, evolve, and regulate growth and development. We welcome studies that identify or test underlying mechanisms, establish novel biological relationships, develop new concepts or approaches, or broaden our understanding of tropical plant diversity and evolution. Research addressing applied questions is also welcome, provided that its primary contribution is to fundamental biological knowledge. Studies with applications in agriculture, horticulture, biotechnology, environmental management, or conservation are appropriate only when they are grounded in substantial biological insight. The journal does not publish studies focused primarily on crop production, management, or agronomic optimization, including fertilization, irrigation, growth-promoting treatments, biostimulants, and similar interventions, when the principal outcome is improved growth, yield, stress tolerance, or product quality rather than a meaningful advance in biological understanding. Descriptive studies that document treatment effects are generally unsuitable unless they provide compelling evidence of a novel mechanism, process, or biological concept. Studies in plant pathology and entomology are considered only when they investigate fundamental biological interactions or mechanisms, including plant host responses, resistance processes, and plant-pathogen or plant-insect interactions. Studies involving non-tropical species may be considered only when the biological processes investigated are clearly relevant to tropical plants.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PLANT SCIENCES
Editor-in-chief Adriana PinheiroPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 26%); most named Mainland China 9, Brazil 5, India 4, United States 3, Taiwan, China 2 (34 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sugarcane Cultivation and ProcessingAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.2%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.9%
- Plant Gene Expression AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.1%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.9%
- Biofuel production and bioconversionEngineering4.9%
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and AnimalsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Chromosomal and Genetic VariationsAgricultural and Biological Sciences4%
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 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 4 |
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
- 2.1LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 21LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 221OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.73OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 6.98%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 68LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 168,400Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 496 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 6 | 4 |
| 2025 | 70 | 7 | 116 |
| 2024 | 35 | 3 | 135 |
| 2023 | 26 | 5 | 143 |
| 2022 | 19 | 3 | 119 |
| 2021 | 30 | 5 | 406 |
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
139 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 101 days – 185 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (82 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 155 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (89 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
- 22 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.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- USD 3,000
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 prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- Unsolicited reviews
Article types accepted2
- research papersResearch Papers: reports of original and solid research results that significantly advance our knowledge in tropical plant biology within the scope of this jour…Length not stated
- review papersReview Papers: before submitting a review article, please send a submission enquiry with title, authors, and abstract to the publishing editor (luciana.christan…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
AI/LLM use policy. Model summary
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
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
Competing interests must be disclosed. 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 Data availability statements
Data transparency policy. 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 NIH Open Access Policy
It is now NIH policy that all articles on research supported by NIH be freely accessible within 12 months of publication, and the articles must be deposited in PubMed Central. Springer offers two options, both of which comply with the NIH directive: 1) by purchasing Open Choice for $3,000 the authors can make their paper open access immediately, and Springer will deposit it in PubMed Central; 2) t…
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 US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- Founded
- 2008
- ISSN
- 1935-9756
- Electronic ISSN
- 1935-9764
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Tropical Plant Biology
What CAS zone is Tropical Plant Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Tropical Plant Biology is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Tropical Plant Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.1; CiteScore 2.3, h-index 43.
How long does peer review take at Tropical Plant Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 82 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 139 days (interquartile range 101–185 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 Tropical Plant Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; 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 Tropical Plant Biology based?
Of the 34 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 26%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (9), Brazil (5) and India (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Tropical Plant Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Tropical Plant Biology 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 Tropical Plant Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Tropical Plant Biology 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .