Editorial: Ethylene: A key regulatory molecule in plants

Ethylene is a simple gaseous phytohormone with multiple roles in regulation of metabolism at cellular, molecular, and whole plant level (Pierik et al., 2006; Lin et al., 2009; Schaller, 2012; Khan N. A. and Khan M. I. R., 2014). It influences performance of plants under optimal and stressful environments by interacting with other signaling molecules (Müller and Munné-Bosch, 2015; Thao et al., 2015). The action of ethylene depends on its concentration in cell and the sensitivity of plants to the hormone (Pierik et al., 2006; Habben et al., 2014; Arraes et al., 2015; Sun et al., 2016). In recent years, research on ethylene has been focused due to its dual action on the regulation of plant processes at physiological and molecular level. The aim of the current research topic was to explore and update our understanding on its regulatory role of ethylene in plant developmental mechanisms at cellular or whole plant level under optimal and changing environmental conditions. The present edited volume includes original research papers and reviews articles describing ethylene’s regulatory role in plant development during plant ontogeny and how it interacts with biotic and abiotic stress factors. For better understanding of the articles included in this volume, papers have been grouped into three categories.