Abstract: In alternative embodiments, provided are methods for: enhancing drought tolerance of crop plants and trees, enhancing salinity of tolerance of plants such as crop plants, enhancing early monitoring of drought, salinity and cold stress by plants such as crop plants and trees, enhancing stress resistance in plants such as crop plants and trees, by increasing the expression of or the activity of a Raf-like mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase (MAPKK) kinase delta B3 family enzyme (or a Raf-like MAPKK kinase delta B3 family enzyme) (a M3K B3 family enzyme) in a plant or a tree cell or a plant or a tree.