A stress-free walk from Arabidopsis to crops

Global concerns such as food security and climate change have highlighted an urgent need for improved crop yield. Breakthroughs in Arabidopsis research provide fresh application routes to achieve novel crop varieties that can withstand or avoid stresses imposed by a changing growth environment. This review features advances in CBF-stress signalling that expand opportunities to produce super hardy crops that can withstand multiple abiotic stresses. It examines molecular external coincidence mechanisms that avoid abiotic stresses by confining plant growth and reproduction to favourable times of the year. The potential value of mathematical modelling approaches is discussed in relation to improving crop-stress resistance or avoidance, and forecasting crop performance.