Chapters authored
Insights into Physiological, Biochemical and Molecular Responses in Wheat under Salt Stress
Globally, wheat is a major staple food crop that provides 20% of food calories for 30% of the human population. Wheat growth and production are significantly affected by salt stress at various stages and adversely affect germination, vegetative growth, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, reproductive behavior, protein synthesis, enzymatic activity and finally hampered grain yield. Maintenance of low Na+/K+ ratio, antioxidants and hormonal regulation, and accumulation of compatible osmolytes such as glycine betaine, proline and trehalose help the wheat genotypes to mitigate the negative effects of salt stress. Recent studies have reported various mechanisms at the physiological, biochemical and molecular levels to adapt the salinity stress in various ecologies. Salt tolerant genotypes can be developed by conventional breeding approaches and through biotechnological approaches. This chapter reviews the updates on mechanisms and recent approaches to structure the salt-tolerant and high-yielding genotypes.
Part of the book: Wheat
Physiological and Molecular Adaptation of Sugarcane under Drought vis-a-vis Root System Traits
Among various abiotic stresses, water is reported as a rare entity in many parts of the world. Decreased frequency of precipitation and global temperature rise will further aggravate the situation in future. Being C4 plant, sugarcane requires generous water for the proper growth. Plant root system primarily supports above-ground growth by anchoring in the soil and facilitates water and nutrients uptake from the soil. The plasticity and dynamic nature of roots endow plants for the uptake of vital nutrients from the soil even under soil moisture conditions. In sugarcane, the major part of root system are generally observed in the upper soil layers, while limited water availability shifts the root growth towards the lower soil layer to sustained water uptake. In addition, root traits are directly related to physiological traits of the shoot to cope up with water limited situations via reduction in stomatal conductance and an upsurge in density and deep root traits, adaptations at biochemical and molecular level which includes osmotic adjustment and ROS detoxification. Under stressed conditions, these complex interactive systems adjust homeo-statically to minimize the adverse impacts of stress and sustain balanced metabolism. Therefore, the present chapter deals with physiological and biochemical traits along with root traits that helps for better productivity of sugarcane under water-limited conditions.
Part of the book: Drought