Physiology of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in agricultural crops with special reference to tea, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze

Abstract

Ascertaining the sustainability of current status and future food security is considered as the topmost challenge in agricultural crop production. Approximately 90% of arable lands are prone to one or more such stresses, which accounts for about 70% of the loss of different food crops. The climate is changing frequently and with the changing climate, plants are subjected to different abiotic and biotic stresses like drought, diseases, and pests. The tolerance level of six selected tea clones was evaluated against drought, dieback disease, one chewing pest, namely looper (Hyposidra talaca) and one sucking pest, namely tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis theivora). The results indicated that clone 107/17 performed superior physiologically and biochemically among the assessed clones. For physiological evaluation, the portable photosynthetic meter LI-COR 6400 XT was used. In looper susceptibility evaluation, clone 107/17 performed well but failed to show tolerance against the tea mosquito bug. The other two promising clones performed at par with the two control clones, TV1 and TV18.