Environmental stresses represent the most limiting factors to agricultural productivity worldwide. Their impact is not only on presently cultivated crops, they are also significant barriers to the introduction of crop plants in noncultivated areas. A significant global problem in the improvement of agriculture is the major variation in annual crop yields due to variations in environmental stresses such as drought, flooding, salinity, and temperature variations. This summary presents current background and research knowledge on all important environmental stresses and their respective influence on plant growth, development and crop yield as well as on biochemical and physiological events within plant tissues in reaction to changing environmental conditions.
Global climate change is bound to create a number of abiotic and biotic stresses in the environment, which would affect the overall growth and productivity of plants. Like other living beings, plants have the ability to protect themselves by evolving various mechanisms against stresses, despite being sessile in nature. They manage to withstand extremes of temperature, drought, flooding, salinity, heavy metals, atmospheric pollution, toxic chemicals and a variety of living organisms, especially viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects and arachnids and weeds. Incidence of abiotic stresses may alter the plant-pest interactions by enhancing susceptibility of plants to pathogenic organisms. These interactions often change plant response to abiotic stresses. Plant growth regulators modulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, and regulate their growth and developmental cascades. A number of physiological and molecular processes that act together in a complex regulatory network, further manage these responses. Crosstalk between autophagy and hormones also occurs to develop tolerance in plants towards multiple abiotic stresses. Similarly, biostimulants, in combination with correct agronomic practices, have shown beneficial effects on plant metabolism due to the hormonal activity that stimulates different metabolic pathways. At the same time, they reduce the use of agrochemicals and impart tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. Further, the use of bio- and nano-fertilizers seem to hold promise to improve the nutrient use efficiency and hence the plant yield under stressful environments. It has also been shown that the seed priming agents impart stress tolerance. Additionally, tolerance or resistance to stress may also be induced by using specific chemical compounds such as polyamines, proline, glycine betaine, hydrogen sulfide, silicon, β-aminobutyric acid, γ-aminobutyric acid and so on. This book discusses the advances in plant performance under stressful conditions. It should be very useful to graduate students, researchers, and scientists in the fields of botanical science, crop science, agriculture, horticulture, ecological and environmental science.
The mechanisms underlying endurance and adaptation to environmental stress factors in plants have long been the focus of intense research. Plants overcome environmental stresses by development of tolerance, resistance or avoidance mechanisms, adjusting to a gradual change in its environment which allows them to maintain performance across a range of adverse environmental conditions. Plant Acclimation to Environmental Stress presents the latest ideas and trends on induced acclimation of plants to environmental stresses under changing environment. Written by experts around the globe, this volume adds new dimensions in the field of plant acclimation to abiotic stress factors. Comprehensive and lavishly illustrated, Plant Acclimation to Environmental Stress is a state-of-the-art guide suited for scholars and researchers working in the field of crop improvement, genetic engineering and abiotic stress tolerance.
In this ready reference, a global team of experts comprehensively cover molecular and cell biology-based approaches to the impact of increasing global temperatures on crop productivity. The work is divided into four parts. Following an introduction to the general challenges for agriculture around the globe due to climate change, part two discusses how the resulting increase of abiotic stress factors can be dealt with. The third part then outlines the different strategies and approaches to address the challenge of climate change, and the whole is rounded off by a number of specific examples of improvements to crop productivity. With its forward-looking focus on solutions, this book is an indispensable help for the agro-industry, policy makers and academia.
Global climate change affects crop production through altered weather patterns and increased environmental stresses. Such stresses include soil salinity, drought, flooding, metal/metalloid toxicity, pollution, and extreme temperatures. The variability of these environmental conditions pared with the sessile lifestyle of plants contribute to high exposure to these stress factors. Increasing tolerance of crop plants to abiotic stresses is needed to fulfill increased food needs of the population. This book focuses on methods of improving plants tolerance to abiotic stresses. It provides information on how protective agents, including exogenous phytoprotectants, can mitigate abiotic stressors affecting plants. The application of various phytoprotectants has become one of the most effective approaches in enhancing the tolerance of plants to these stresses. Phytoprotectants are discussed in detail including information on osmoprotectants, antioxidants, phytohormones, nitric oxide, polyamines, amino acids, and nutrient elements of plants. Providing a valuable resource of information on phytoprotectants, this book is useful in diverse areas of life sciences including agronomy, plant physiology, cell biology, environmental sciences, and biotechnology.
Plant growth and productivity are limited in many areas of the world by a wide variety of environmental stresses. This book discusses progress made toward the major goal of uncovering the plant resistance mechanisms to biotic and abiotic stresses; the purpose being to utilise this knowledge in genetic modification of plants for achieving improved stress resistance. This volume achieves a new synthesis in considering the mechanisms of resistance at various levels of organisation -- from individual cells and tissues, through whole plants, to communities. Chapters are written by internationally acknowledged experts, who have a wealth of research and teaching experience. With comprehensive and up-to-date coverage, this book analyses many outstanding problems and poses important questions for future research.
Plants are subjected to numerous environmental stresses, which can be classified into two broad areas: abiotic and biotic stresses. While the first is considered the damage done to an organism by other living organisms, the latter occurs as a result of a negative impact of non-living factors on the organisms. In this scenario, the current most accepted opinion of scientists is that both biotic and abiotic factors in nature and agroecosystems are affected by climate change, which may lead to significant crop yield decreases worldwide. We should take into consideration not only this environmental concern but also the fact that 20 years from now the earth's population will need 55% more food than it can produce now. Therefore, it is crucial to address such concerns and bring about possible solutions to future plant stress-related outcomes that might affect global agriculture. This book intends to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of both biotic and abiotic stresses through 10 chapters that include case studies and literature reviews about these topics. There will be a particular focus on understanding the physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes observed in stressed plants as well as the mechanisms underlying stress tolerance in plants.
The knowledge of plant responses to various abiotic stresses is crucial to understand their underlying mechanisms as well as the methods to develop new varieties of crops, which are better suited to the environment they are grown in. Environmental Stress Physiology of Plants and Crop Productivity provides readers a timely update on the knowledge about plant responses to a variety of stresses such as salinity, temperature, drought, oxidative stress and mineral deficiencies. Chapters focus on biochemical mechanisms identified in plants crucial to adapting to specific abiotic stressors along with the methods of improving plant tolerance. The book also sheds light on plant secondary metabolites such as phenylpropanoids and plant growth regulators in ameliorating the stressful conditions in plants. Additional chapters present an overview of applications of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics (including CRISPR/CAS techniques) to develop abiotic stress tolerant crops. The editors have also provided detailed references for extended reading to support the information in the book. Environmental Stress Physiology of Plants and Crop Productivity is an informative reference for scholars and researchers working in the field of botany, agriculture, crop science and physiology, soil science, and environmental sciences.
This book provides a valuable insight into how the area of plant adaptation to abiotic stresses has progressed through the application of the new technologies. The book consists of eight chapters written by outstanding scientists across the world, who carry out research at the cutting edge of their disciplines. The topics, addressed in up-to-date specific chapters, include effects and responses of plants to stresses caused by such factors as: 1) high temperature, 2) low temperature (chilling and freezing), 3) salt, 4) drought, 5) flooding, 6) heavy metals, 7) elevated carbon dioxide, 8) ozone.
Climate change is a complex phenomenon with a wide range of impacts on the environment. Biotic and abiotic stress are a result of climate change. Abiotic stress is caused by primary and secondary stresses which are an impediment to plant productivity. Prolonged exposure to these stresses results in altered metabolism and damage to biomolecules. Plants evolve defense mechanisms to withstand these stresses, e.g. synthesis of osmolytes, osmoprotectants, and antioxidants. Stress responsive genes and gene products including expressed proteins are implicated in conferring tolerance to the plant. This volume will provide the reader with a wide spectrum of information, including vital references. It also provides information as to how phytoconstituents, hormones and plant associated microbes help the plants to tolerate the stress. This volume also highlights the use of plant resources for ameliorating soil contaminants such as heavy metals. Dr. Parvaiz is Assistant professor in Botany at A.S. College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has completed his post-graduation in Botany in 2000 from Jamia Hamdard New Delhi India. After his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India in 2007 he joined the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi. He has published more than 20 research papers in peer reviewed journals and 4 book chapters. He has also edited a volume which is in press with Studium Press Pvt. India Ltd., New Delhi, India. Dr. Parvaiz is actively engaged in studying the molecular and physio-biochemical responses of different plants (mulberry, pea, Indian mustard) under environmental stress. Prof. M.N.V. Prasad is a Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Hyderabad, India. He received B.Sc. (1973) and M.Sc. (1975) degrees from Andhra University, India, and the Ph.D. degree (1979) in botany from the University of Lucknow, India. Prasad had published 216 articles in peer reviewed journals and 82 book chapters and conference proceedings in the broad area of environmental botany and heavy metal stress in plants. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor for eight books. He is the recipient of Pitamber Pant national Environment Fellowship of 2007 awarded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
