Abiotic stress tolerance in agriculture

Abstract

Plants being sessile, are seriously affected by plethora of factors among which abiotic stresses notably drought, salinity and extreme temperature conditions are major constraint worldwide, reducing more than 50% yield in major crops. Stress conditions reduce plant growth by affecting various physiological and biochemical processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, translocation, ion uptake, sugar and nutrient metabolism, and also phytohormones. To overcome such situation, plants have developed innate adaptations to stress conditions with an array of biochemical and physiological interventions that involves the function of many stress-associated genes. Thus, understanding the physiological and biochemical responses to stresses is essential for a holistic perception of plant resistance mechanisms to overcome the conditions.