In recent years, the diverse roles of auxins, particularly indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), have gained significant attention in the context of plant development and stress responses. From a developmental perspective, IAA is known to regulate numerous cellular processes, including cell growth, organogenesis, gravitropism, seed development, stem cell maintenance, root development, stomatal formation, and the development of flowers and fruits. In addition to its role in development, IAA plays a critical role in mitigating various environmental stresses, such as nutrient deficiencies, drought, salinity, heat, heavy metal toxicity, and biotic stress factors. IAA mediates these responses by interacting with key genes, transcription factors, and signaling molecules, including reactive oxygen species (ROS, nitric oxide (NO, and several phytohormones such ascytokinins (CK), ethylene (ET), abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid JA, salicylic acid (SA, and brassinosteroids (BRs), among others. This review highlights updated insights into IAA-mediated signaling pathways that influence plant developmental and stress responses. As IAA is a central phytohormonal signaling molecule with multifunctional roles in plants, it holds immense promise for enhancing both developmental traits and stress resilience. Its potential could be harnessed to engineer stress-tolerant crops with improved productivity. Further research in this area is likely to uncover valuable biotechnological advancements and applications of IAA-driven strategies in sustainable agriculture and plant stress management.
Singh et al. (2026) studied this question.