Engineering resilient roses: molecular insights into biotic and abiotic stress adaptation

Abstract

Rose (Rosa spp.) is a high-value ornamental plant cultivated worldwide for its aesthetic and commercial importance. However, rose production is frequently challenged by a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses that impair growth, development, and floral quality, ultimately reducing the yield and economic returns. Recent advances have clarified the molecular pathways that govern stress responses in roses, with particular emphasis on transcriptional regulation, post-translational protein modifications, and epigenetic control. Transcription factors such as the WRKY, NAC, MYB, and AP2/ERF families regulate stress-responsive gene expression. Post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation and ubiquitination, together with epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling, establish molecular ‘stress memory’ and resilience. In response to biotic stress, roses defend against major pathogens, including black spot (Marssonina rosae), gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), and powdery mildew (Podosphaera pannosa) through integrated hormonal signaling and transcriptional regulation. Aphid herbivory triggers calcium fluxes, phosphorylation cascades, and the synthesis of secondary metabolites that strengthen defense. Emerging biotechnological tools, particularly genome editing using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9, marker-assisted selection, and virus-induced gene silencing, provide promising approaches for breeding rose cultivars with improved tolerance to environmental and pathogenic stresses. This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying both biotic and abiotic stress adaptation in roses and outlines strategies for developing resilient cultivars capable of maintaining productivity and ornamental value under adverse conditions.

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos 32302587 and 32002076), Jiangsu Provincial Agricultural Science and Technology Independent Innovation Fund (grant number, CX(24)3053), and Qinglan Project of Yangzhou University.

Author contributions

G.W. and L.F. conceptualized and designed the review. H.H. and H.S. wrote the original draft. H.H., H.S., Y.C., Y.G., and Q.Z. prepared the figures. G.W., L.F., E.M., K.Z., Y.X., M.B., and J.W. revised the manuscript.

Conflicts of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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