Preface
In the recent agriculture scenario, climate change and food security are the two
prominent challenges faced by the scientists to cater to the needs of the burgeoning
global population. The global climate is predicted to change drastically over the next
century and different plant growth parameters will be affected due to these
aberrations. The struggle for survival is a natural and continuous process. Plants
growing in the natural environment confront with a variety of biotic (pathogen
infections) and abiotic stresses (salinity, drought, heat and cold stresses, etc.) that
drastically affect plant growth and productivity under field conditions. These
challenges are likely to grow as consequences of global climate change.
Gradual increase in the global warming of this planet has grown incidence of
extreme weather conditions such as increasing periods of drought, variation in
temperature, incidents of flooding and accumulation of soluble salts that all are
liable to drastically impact food production, because these extreme weather
conditions largely affect plant growth and thereby lowering crop production. Indeed,
plants have evolved various direct and indirect mechanisms to respond or adapt to
extreme environmental conditions. Therefore, the acquaintance with underlying
signalling pathways, physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms in
plants and the role of beneficial soil microorganisms in plant’s stress tolerance are
pivotal for sustainable crop production. Indeed, microbes present in phyllosphere,
rhizosphere (bacteria and fungi) and inside the plants (endophytes) could play a
significant role in the alleviation of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants due to the
activation of the ISR system and improve on the PGP traits through enhanced
nitrogen fixation, exopolysaccharides (EPS) secretion, phytohormones (IAA, GA,
CK), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminases, trehalose synthase
gene, volatile compounds, inducing accumulation of osmolytes (proline),
antioxidants, upregulation or downregulation of stress responsive genes (acdS).
Thus, the use of such beneficial microbes could play a vital role in mitigating abiotic
and biotic stresses in plants.
The present volume “Plant Stress Biology: Strategies and Trends” written by the
experts in the field covers the latest research on plants tolerance to abiotic (such as
drought, waterlogging, salinity, temperature, cold stresses) and biotic stresses and
the potential of plant–microbe interactions to avoid the damage caused by these
stresses. With a fortune of information on theoretical, technical and experimental
vii
In the recent agriculture scenario, climate change and food security are the two
prominent challenges faced by the scientists to cater to the needs of the burgeoning
global population. The global climate is predicted to change drastically over the next
century and different plant growth parameters will be affected due to these
aberrations. The struggle for survival is a natural and continuous process. Plants
growing in the natural environment confront with a variety of biotic (pathogen
infections) and abiotic stresses (salinity, drought, heat and cold stresses, etc.) that
drastically affect plant growth and productivity under field conditions. These
challenges are likely to grow as consequences of global climate change.
Gradual increase in the global warming of this planet has grown incidence of
extreme weather conditions such as increasing periods of drought, variation in
temperature, incidents of flooding and accumulation of soluble salts that all are
liable to drastically impact food production, because these extreme weather
conditions largely affect plant growth and thereby lowering crop production. Indeed,
plants have evolved various direct and indirect mechanisms to respond or adapt to
extreme environmental conditions. Therefore, the acquaintance with underlying
signalling pathways, physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms in
plants and the role of beneficial soil microorganisms in plant’s stress tolerance are
pivotal for sustainable crop production. Indeed, microbes present in phyllosphere,
rhizosphere (bacteria and fungi) and inside the plants (endophytes) could play a
significant role in the alleviation of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants due to the
activation of the ISR system and improve on the PGP traits through enhanced
nitrogen fixation, exopolysaccharides (EPS) secretion, phytohormones (IAA, GA,
CK), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminases, trehalose synthase
gene, volatile compounds, inducing accumulation of osmolytes (proline),
antioxidants, upregulation or downregulation of stress responsive genes (acdS).
Thus, the use of such beneficial microbes could play a vital role in mitigating abiotic
and biotic stresses in plants.
The present volume “Plant Stress Biology: Strategies and Trends” written by the
experts in the field covers the latest research on plants tolerance to abiotic (such as
drought, waterlogging, salinity, temperature, cold stresses) and biotic stresses and
the potential of plant–microbe interactions to avoid the damage caused by these
stresses. With a fortune of information on theoretical, technical and experimental
vii