Global Bibliometric Analysis of Research Activities on Plant Defense Against Abiotic Stresses from the Web of Science (2005–2017)

Agriculture is fundamental for food production. The aim of modern agriculture is to improve or maintain food quality and production without exerting any negative influence on the environment. However, crops grow in a complex environment, and they suffer adverse effects from external factors. Non-biological factors (e.g., drought, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metals) can cause abiotic stress in plants, resulting in physiological injuries in plants and eventually leading to reduced plant productivity. To combat abiotic stress, plants have developed complex defense mechanisms in their growing stages. Therefore, understanding these defense mechanisms can help prevent crop yield losses. In this study, a bibliometric analysis of abiotic stress was conducted based on the Web of Science database. Different aspects of publications, including publication type, research field, journal type, country and its institutions, frequencies of keyword occurrence, and plant species in abiotic stress research, were analyzed. Results showed that abiotic stress research is flourishing worldwide, and the number of publications is increasing yearly. The journals selected by authors to publish their outputs are all related to plants, with the Journal of Experimental Botany being the most influential. From a global perspective, countries are in close cooperation on abiotic stress research. According to the results of keyword analysis, rice, wheat, tobacco, maize, and tomato are the most studied plant species. And drought, high salt, active oxygen, and heavy metals are found to induce abiotic stress more than other factors. In conclusion, sustained efforts have been made by the scientific community in the field of abiotic stress with the purpose of understanding, regulating, and controlling the negative effects of abiotic stress on plants.