Drought tolerance: Role of organic osmolytes, growth regulators, and mineral nutrients
Authors: Ahanger, M.A., Tyagi, S.R., Wani, M.R. and Ahmad, P.
Volume: 1
Pages: 25-55
ISBN: 9781461485902
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-8591-9_2
Abstract:Plants are continuously exposed to various environmental stresses, which cause alteration in every physiological and biochemical pathway. Plants have evolved several mechanisms that allow a plant species to tolerate/combat stress. Greater synthesis and accumulation of compatible organic osmolytes and proper mineral nutrition help plants to bring osmoregulation so that the cell water content and turgor is maintained. Under stress conditions, synthesis and accumulation of several osmolytes like free sugars, amino compounds, such as proline and glycine betaine, sugar alcohols like mannitol, and other low molecular weight metabolites are increased. Macro mineral elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium are required for normal growth and development of plants and are known to stimulate the synthesis of osmotically active solutes. Moreover, they are actively implicated in several physiological processes including enzyme activation, transport, photosynthesis, and protein synthesis. Various phytohormones are known to have defensive roles in plants exposed to environmental stresses and their synthesis and accumulation are upregulated on exposure to environmental stress. Present review throws light on the role of organic osmolytes, mineral nutrients, and also growth regulators especially abscisic acid, ethylene, and salicylic acid in increasing the plant tolerance to drought stress.
Source: Scopus