Being continuously exposed to variable environmental conditions, plants produce phytohormones to react quickly and specifically to these changes. The phytohormone ethylene is produced in response to multiple stresses. While the role of ethylene in defense responses to pathogens is widely recognized, recent studies in arabidopsis and crop species highlight an emerging key role for ethylene in the regulation of organ growth and yield under abiotic stress. Molecular connections between ethylene and growth-regulatory pathways have been uncovered, and altering the expression of ethylene response factors (ERFs) provides a new strategy for targeted ethylene-response engineering. Crops with optimized ethylene responses show improved growth in the field, opening new windows for future crop improvement. This review focuses on how ethylene regulates shoot growth, with an emphasis on leaves.

植物不断暴露于变化的环境条件下，会产生植物激素，从而对这些变化做出快速而具体的反应。植物激素乙烯是响应多种压力而产生的。尽管乙烯在对病原体的防御反应中的作用已得到广泛认可，但最近在拟南芥和农作物物种中的研究突显了乙烯在非生物胁迫下调节器官生长和产量中的新兴关键作用。乙烯与生长调节途径之间的分子联系已被发现，改变乙烯反应因子（ERF）的表达为靶向乙烯反应工程提供了新的策略。具有最佳乙烯响应的农作物显示出田间生长的改善，为将来的农作物改良打开了新的窗口。