eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia 0973-1245 2025-12-30 22 4 1385 1397 10.13005/bbra/3449 57033 article Yasser Perwaiz 1 Sagrika 1 Sourabh Sharma 2 Sanjana Kaul 3 Manoj Kumar Dhar 1 Genome Research Lab, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, India. Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu, India. Fungal Biotechnology Lab, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, India. Crocus sativus L. (saffron) is one of the most valuable spice and medicinal plant worldwide, yet its productivity and accumulation of bioactive metabolites are highly vulnerable to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, temperature fluctuations, and ultraviolet rays Advances in multi-omics technologies like genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and epigenomics are offering novel insights into the molecular and regulatory mechanisms underlying stress tolerance. At the genomic level, studies have identified numerous stress-responsive genes, transcription factor families, and structural variants that contribute to adaptive capacity. Transcriptomic research further highlights dynamic gene expression networks involved in coordinating downstream defense pathways. Proteomic analyses emphasize the functional importance of heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes, and post-translational modifications in maintaining cellular stability under adverse conditions. In addition, metabolomics links these molecular changes to the accumulation of osmoprotectants and secondary metabolites such as crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal, which are directly linked to saffron’s economic and therapeutic value. Epigenomic regulation—including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small RNA-mediated gene silencing—adds another layer of control by conferring transcriptional flexibility and enabling stress memory. The integration of multi-omics datasets enables the identification of hub genes, key regulatory nodes, and interconnected metabolic pathways. Such knowledge provides strategic opportunities for crop improvement using tools like CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, RNA interference, marker-assisted selection, and synthetic biology. Overall, an integrated omics-driven approach paves the way for developing climate-resilient saffron cultivars with enhanced yield and improved metabolite quality, ensuring sustainable cultivation under increasingly unpredictable environmental conditions. https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol22no4/omics-driven-perspectives-on-abiotic-stress-tolerance-in-crocus-sativus-l-from-molecular-signatures-to-adaptive-mechanisms/ Epigenomics; Genomics; Metabolomics; Saffron; Transcriptomics