Stressful environments such as salinity, drought, and high temperatures significantly impact various physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes in plants, particularly affecting photosynthesis. Photosynthesis, a fundamental process in green plants, is compromised at all stages by these stresses. The review discusses the detailed effects of stress on different components of photosynthesis, including pigments, photosystems, electron transport systems, and enzymes involved in carbon metabolism. It also highlights recent progress in enhancing the photosynthetic performance of C3 crops through transgenic approaches, such as overexpressing C3 enzymes or transcription factors, and integrating genes encoding C3 enzymes into C3 plants. Additionally, the review examines the global effort to identify signaling components, particularly transcription factors and protein kinases, including mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), involved in stress adaptation in agricultural plants. The effects of stress on photosynthetic pigments, photosystems, and gas exchange characteristics are discussed, emphasizing the role of abscisic acid (ABA) in stress responses. The review further explores the impact of stress on key photosynthetic enzymes and the potential of using photosynthetic capacity as an indicator of stress tolerance in different plant species.Stressful environments such as salinity, drought, and high temperatures significantly impact various physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes in plants, particularly affecting photosynthesis. Photosynthesis, a fundamental process in green plants, is compromised at all stages by these stresses. The review discusses the detailed effects of stress on different components of photosynthesis, including pigments, photosystems, electron transport systems, and enzymes involved in carbon metabolism. It also highlights recent progress in enhancing the photosynthetic performance of C3 crops through transgenic approaches, such as overexpressing C3 enzymes or transcription factors, and integrating genes encoding C3 enzymes into C3 plants. Additionally, the review examines the global effort to identify signaling components, particularly transcription factors and protein kinases, including mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), involved in stress adaptation in agricultural plants. The effects of stress on photosynthetic pigments, photosystems, and gas exchange characteristics are discussed, emphasizing the role of abscisic acid (ABA) in stress responses. The review further explores the impact of stress on key photosynthetic enzymes and the potential of using photosynthetic capacity as an indicator of stress tolerance in different plant species.