In the early 80ies, with my thesis  directed by J. Barceló and my following postdoc studies we were pioneers introducing heavy metal toxicity research in plants in Spain. Our contribution to this upcoming topic was and is recognized internationally with highly cited publications specially on the influence of  ion toxicity on water relations (J. Plant Nutr.(1990) 13, 1-37 , citations 566; 21 this year), cell wall and ultrastructure. Due to this innovative research on ion toxicity, we  participated in 3 EU projects (10 years) to investigate the mechanisms of aluminum toxicity and tolerance for adaptation of maize to acid soils in the tropics. The projects were multidisciplinary with experts from Plant Physiology (our group), Plant Nutrition, Genetics, Agronomy , Soil Science and Conventional and Molecular Breeding. We made a significant contribution revealing timing of response, the importance of cell wall stiffening, the fast entry of Al into cells, the role of phenolic exudation in  Al tolerance and the importance of Al-induced cell pattering for adaptative growth of roots (highly cited: Env. Exp. Bot. (2002) 48, 75; 691 citations; 33/year;  Exp.Bot. (2001) 52:1339; 325 citations, 21 this year; J. Exp. Bot.(2008) 56:1213; 179 citations; average 10/year). A further highlight of our research was the exploration of the metal defense hypothesis (Background article Trends Plant Sci. (2006) 11: 288; 187 citations; average 11/year) and the interaction between ion accumulation and pathogens and herbivores (background article Front. Plant Sci. (2019) 10, 1171; citations 96; 30 this year). The collaboration started in 2011 with DE Salt and M.L. Guerinot within the frame of a project financed by NIH, USA allowed us to earn valuable expertise in functional plant genomics. The studies, still ongoing in our national research projects (see paragraph C3), are focused on salinity stress and tolerance in plants using natural populations of A. thaliana and, more recently, Brassica fruticulosa from inland and coastal sites. Most relevant findings: local adaptation to salinity in coastal populations is driven by ongoing divergent selection (Plant Physiol.(2015) 168, 915; 30 citations); we provide evidence that HKT1;1 is under fluctuating selection in response to climate volatility and is a worldwide determinant in adaptation to saline conditions (PNAS. USA (2018) 115, E12443, metrics >8780 views, 23 citations); under salinity reduced MOT1 function limits Na+ accumulation through ABA signaling (New Phytol. 2021, 232,208). In our last projects we further addressed natural adaptation to carbonate saline and non-saline soils. Main findings: importance of coumarin-type phenolics exudation and Ca exclusion for adaptation of A. thaliana to carbonated soil (Plant Cell Environ.2019, 42, 2348); adaptation to saline siliceous soils does not confer tolerance to saline alkaline soils (Plant Soil, 2022, 476, 455).YUC8, NINJA and ALA play essential roles in saline alkaline tolerance (Plant J, 2022). In our current research on natural adaptation to salinity we have included the soil microbiome as a crucial player in plant-soil interactions and stress tolerance. First results indicate amelioration of salt stress in crop brassica by a microbiome consortium isolated from coastal B. fruticulosa soil. 

  According to DORA criterions a more holistic approach not only based on journal impact factors is a more valuable tool for the assessment of the value and social relevance of a researcher’s investigation outcomes. The new “research interest score” of the Research Gate platform (ResearchGate Updates | Track your impact in the scientific community with the improved Research Interest Score)  considers this by combining multiple publication metrics — reads, recommendations, and citations — to provide a more holistic picture of how researchers are engaging with an individual’s research every day. According to this, my research interest score is 7481; this is higher than the 99% of all research gate members, 99% higher than researchers in the field of Botany and 96% higher than all members with first publication in 1981. In Web of Science (WOS core collection) my index h is 51 and the number of citations of articles authored by me is 9271 (average 250/year since 1983). During the last ten years I have progressively increased publication in open access. Our research is also visible at the EGRETA platform at the UAB, in Google Scholar and at ORCID. I am associate editor of the journal Science of the Total Environment (IF 10.7; Q1) and member of committee for research and divulgation of Carl Faust Foundation (since 2017).