Insights into plant abiotic stress physiology through conventional and nonconventional approaches

Abiotic stresses are among the most significant constraints on global crop productivity, adversely affecting plant growth, physiological performance, and yield stability. Environmental stresses such as salinity, drought, heat, and low temperature disrupt cellular homeostasis by impairing photosynthesis, altering membrane integrity, and inducing excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS). Elucidating the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to these stresses is critical for the development of stress-resilient crop varieties. This review synthesizes recent advances derived from both conventional and emerging approaches used to investigate plant abiotic stress tolerance. Classical methodologies, including physiological assays, functional genomics, and molecular marker-assisted selection, continue to provide essential insights into adaptive traits. In parallel, modern strategies such as transcriptomics, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), proteomics, and integrated multi-omics analyses have revealed complex regulatory networks, candidate genes, and metabolic pathways associated with stress adaptation. The integration of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics enables systems-level analysis of stress signaling, gene regulation, and metabolic reprogramming, offering a comprehensive understanding of plant adaptive responses. Collectively, this review highlights the importance of combining traditional approaches with advanced omics technologies to accelerate the development of climate-resilient crops and to guide crop-specific, scalable strategies for enhancing tolerance under rapidly changing climatic conditions.