Chapters authored
Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Cotton
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a vital fiber crop that is being cultivated under diverse climatic conditions across the globe. The demand for cotton and its by-products is increasing day by day due to more consumption of this fiber in the textile industry and the utilization of cotton seed as a source of edible oil. However, the average seed cotton yield in the world is below that of the potential yield of cultivars. The factors responsible for low yield includes shortage of approved seed, pest and disease attack, weed infestation, unwise use of nutrients, and the incidence of abiotic stresses (including drought, heat, and salinity). Among these, the abiotic stresses are a single major factor, which is responsible for reducing the yield now and will affect the productivity of cotton in future. In this scenario, it is necessary to adopt ways to improve the tolerance of cotton against abiotic stresses. The strategies for improving tolerance against abiotic stresses may include the wise use of macro- and micronutrients, the use of osmoprotectants, the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and the plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria.
Part of the book: Advances in Cotton Research
Key Aspects of Plant Hormones in Agricultural Sustainability under Climate Change
Climate change is an emerging issue for modern agriculture and has generated biotic and abiotic stresses for plants such as cold, high temperature, heat, drought, uneven rainfall, and UV radiations. In addition to these, serious stress factors are emerging related to water availability, nutrient cycling, salinity-sodicity, and pest attacks. In recent years, such phenomena have attracted the research community to avoid the fatal influence of climate change on crop production and obtain more food helping in fulfillment of increasing food demand of population surge. The anthropogenic activities in the agroecosystem are among the major causes for global warming and proportion in climate change. Therefore, it is assumed that identifying various plant hormones and their utilization to improve plant metabolic activities would help maintain plant growth, survival, and production under severe climate change circumstances. This chapter focuses on identifying the key aspects of plant hormones to retard the negative impacts of climate change and support sustainable agriculture.
Part of the book: Plant Hormones
Biostimulants Application: An Innovative Approach to Food Security under Drought Stress
Climate change is a global threat to food security as it causes various biotic and abiotic stresses that adversely disturb agriculture production. With an increase in the worldwide population, the demand for food has also arisen. It is an immediate challenge for the scientific community to introduce an innovative tool to achieve food security with quality plant production and develop tolerance against abiotic stresses, specifically drought. Genetically modifications are effective and time-consuming, while biostimulants are in/organic substances with the potential to support plant development under stress conditions. This chapter focuses on the impacts of climate change on agriculture, challenges for agriculture sustainability and food security, the interrelationship between drought, climate change and food security, the potential role of biostimulants against drought, future aspects and challenges due to climate change specifically drought, and food security challenges. Various studies reported that the application of biostimulants results in enhancement of crop productivity and mitigates the harmful effects due to climate change. To ensure the quality of chapter, we collected references from well-reputed international journals using keywords ““biostimulants,” “drought,” “food security,” “agriculture sustainability,” and “climate change.” In conclusion, biostimulants has a potential to address adverse environmental conditions without affecting crop quality and yield loss.
Part of the book: Climate Change