Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is an important economic crop widely cultivated across various regions worldwide. Its agricultural significance lies not only in its high sugar yield but also in its positive impact on agro-ecosystems and the economic value of its by-products. However, beet production and quality are adversely affected by multiple abiotic and biotic stresses, including pathogen infection, drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures. In recent years, numerous key stress-responsive genes have been identified, including BvPAL, BvPR, and Rz1-4, which mediate responses to biotic stresses, and BvM14-SAMS2, BvINT1;1, BvHMA3, BvCOLD1, and BvALKBH10B, which enhance tolerance to abiotic stresses. Meanwhile, core transcription factors such as bHLH, HSP, WRKY, and SPL show differential expression under stresses, suggesting that they may regulate stress-related genes and constitute major transcriptional modules enabling beet to withstand adverse conditions. In this study, we summarize the changes in beet under different stress conditions, combining gene information to reveal key regulatory changes in stress responses and how these molecular processes contribute to stress adaptation. This not only provides a theoretical basis for the improvement of beet stress tolerance and yield, but also offers potential directions for future breeding strategies in practical applications.

Climate change is intensifying environmental stresses, including drought, high temperature, and salinity, posing increasing challenges to plant growth and development. In addition to genetic variation, DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence through the addition of methyl groups to the fifth carbon of cytosine. Genome-wide dynamic changes in DNA methylation and demethylation at CG, CHG, and CHH sites contribute to the regulation of stress-responsive transcriptional networks, thereby shaping plant phenotypes and facilitating the establishment of stress memory. In recent years, advances in methylome profiling and molecular validation have shifted research from describing DNA methylation changes to elucidating their regulatory mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment, maintenance, and removal of DNA methylation, with a particular focus on its dynamic changes and regulatory roles in plant responses to cold, heat, drought, and salt stresses. It also compares the characteristics of DNA methylation responses across different types of stress and discusses their potential molecular mechanisms. Overall, DNA methylation represents an important regulatory layer in plant responses to abiotic challenges, and its dynamic changes are closely associated with plant adaptation, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying stress adaptation.