Genetics of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants: Concept and Research Trends

Author: Mohit Sharma and Parul Gupta

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Abstract

Abiotic environmental stresses pose a threat to food availability in future as they may lessen farming output to only 20% or even less of the farm’s inherent yields. Crop failure is mostly caused by abiotic pressures including salinity of soil, moisture stress, chilling and toxicity of heavy minerals which prevent crops from reaching their innate genetic capacity. The effect of excess salt, dryness and toxicity of heavy minerals put adverse effect on cells by upsetting their ionic and osmotic balance while chilling induces mechanical restrain to biological phospholipid membrane. Responses to abiotic pressures mediated by a variety of molecular signaling mechanisms. For crop development, it is crucial to comprehend molecular signaling networks and identify critical compounds and their specialized functions. A number of genes that code for antioxidants, enzymes that alter phospholipids of biological membrane, stress responsive transcription factors(TFS), Ion (Ca+2) homeostasis controlling cellular proteins, HSPS, and enzymes that consolidate significant compounds which are responsive to stress have been identified as being responsible for endurance of abiotic pressures. Several different methods have been employed to enhance the stress resistance of various farm species, including conventional breeding techniques, shuttle breeding and mutagenesis. The present scenario of climate change demands a better level of tolerance or resistance in future varieties. Advanced breeding approaches such as GWAS, GS, Genome editing might open up new possibilities for cultivating plants that can adjust to a rapidly changing environment and still providing good yields in the face of extreme environmental stress. In this article, we will converse about the consequences of prominent abiotic pressures as well as behavior of plant to various external stresses as regards of physiology and breeding approaches used to achieve resistance or tolerance to them.

Keywords

Abiotic stress, GWAS, GS, HSPS, Genome editing, Mutagenesis

Conclusion

Ensuring food security for huge population in era of climate change is one of the biggest obstacles for agriculture scientist. Crops are being exposed to extreme weather conditions like moisture stress, excessive temperature, and salinity more frequently as the climate becomes more unpredictably unstable. These environmental stressors can drastically lower crop yields, endangering the availability of food. Plant breeders are using a variety of approaches to develop crops that can withstand these stressors. Current and rapidly developing technologies such as MAS, GWAS, GS, Genome editing will greatly accelerate the evolution of improved designer abiotic stresses-tolerant crops. The integration of these advanced approaches with each other or with conventional techniques is one way to improve the productivity in stressed condition. However, breeding for abiotic stress tolerance in plants is a complex and challenging process. The genetic basis of stress tolerance is often complex, and it can be difficult to identify the specific genes or gene networks involved. In addition, breeding for stress tolerance can sometimes result in unintended consequences, such as reduced yield or changes in plant morphology. Considering these challenges, a deeper comprehension of plant stress response and tolerance mechanisms is critically required. This comprehension study will help us to design climate-resilient crops for the future.

References

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How to cite this article

Mohit Sharma and Parul Gupta (2023). Genetics of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants: Concept and Research Trends. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(3): 475-484.