Meet the editors

Dr. Naser A. Anjum obtained a Ph.D. in Botany from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India, and received post-doctoral research training at the University of Aveiro, Portugal; Agricultural Biotechnology Research Centre, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; and Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. Dr. Anjum has significantly contributed to the biology of plant/crop-environment adaptation. He has received prestigious research awards

from reputed funding agencies, including the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT); the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India; and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, India. Dr. Anjum has published over 125 peer-reviewed papers, edited 18 books, and journal special issues. He is an elected fellow of the Linnean Society, London; Indian Botanical Society; International Society of Environmental Botanists, India; and National Academy of Biological Sciences, India.

Dr. Asim Masood has unveiled major insights into abiotic stress (metals, salt, and temperature) impacts and underlying physiological/ biochemical mechanisms in crop plants. He received a Start-Up Career Grant from the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, and DST-SERB Young Scientist Project from the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India. His research interests include the involvement of

ethylene in sulfur-mediated alleviation of cadmium, ethylene-mediated regulation of photosynthesis as a result of reduced glucose sensitivity, ethylene-mediated modulation of gibberellic acid-induced sulfur-assimilation under cadmium stress, and ethylene-mediated reversal of salinity impacts involving ethylene-abscisic acid coordination. Dr. Masood has more than sixty research papers to his credit.

Prof. Shahid Umar has identified the major strategies for developing abiotic stress-tolerant crops through modulation of tolerance mechanisms at both physiological and molecular levels, deciphered the importance of nitrogen metabolism in cereals and leafy vegetables, and enhanced nitrogen-use efficiency as well as developed a synergism between primary nutrients and growth under varied environmental conditions. Prof. Umar

has nine edited volumes to his credit and has participated in research projects with funding from agencies, including the International Potash Research Institute, Switzerland. For his significant contributions to potassium nutrition management for the improvement of crop yield and quality, Prof. Umar has received several awards including the 2003 IPI-FAI International Award from the International Potash Institute, Basel, Switzerland, and the Fertilizer Association of India.

Prof. Nafees A. Khan has contributed immensely to abiotic tolerance mechanisms with a positive shift in the source–sink relationship. Mechanism mainly involved ethylene and its coordination with other major phytohormones-mediated induction of signal transduction and eventual modulation of the ascorbate–glutathione system. His path-breaking R&D contributions in the physio-biochemistry of abiotic stress tolerance strategies led to the

publication of several journal articles. Prof. Khan was deemed a highly cited researcher for four consecutive years (2019–2022) and received the Clarivate India Research Excellence Citation Award in 2023. He has edited twenty-one books and served as editor/guest editor of leading publishing platforms. Prof. Khan is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), the Linnean Society, the Indian Society for Plant Physiology, and the Indian Botanical Society.
