Drought Stress in Horticultural Plants

• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: Biology, life sciences; Research and information: general; abiotic stresses; AChE activity; antioxidant; band importance; bedding plants; biochemical response; breeding; Callistemon citrinus (Curtis) Skeels; canopy temperature; chlorophyll fluorescence; climate change; damask rose; defense mechanisms; deficit irrigation; drought; drought stress; drought tolerance; drought-responsive gene; enzyme activity; gas exchange; gene-associated SSRs; genetic diversity; hyperspectral image; LEA protein; leaf morphology and structure; legumes; Lilium; LOX activity; machine learning; membership function; mungbean; n/a; ornamental species; osmotic regulation; phenolics; photosynthetic capacity; physiological parameters; plant biomass; potato; productivity; proline; relative water content; rhizobacteria; root/shoot ratio; ROS; signaling; SSRs; stomata characteristics; stress adaptation; stress responsive genes; tomato; Viburnum tinus L. 'Lucidum'; Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp; water deficiency; water deficit; water stress; Zinnia elegans L.
• Online Access: Open Access: DOAB: description of the publication; Open Access: DOAB, download the publication

 Drought stress is one of the main factors limiting horticultural crops, especially in environments like the Mediterranean basin, which is often characterized by sub-optimal water availability. The global change will determine the increase in semi-arid conditions, so all horticultural crops will have to cope with the water scarcity. Appropriate plant selection and new cultivation methods, especially methods of deficit irrigation, are crucial in improving the crop cultivation performances.Horticultural plants can have specific adaptive mechanisms to overcome the negative effects of drought stress. Drought-tolerant plants show different adjustment mechanisms to overcome this stress, including morphological, physiological, and biochemical modifications. The plant responses include increasing the root/shoot ratio, growth reduction, leaf anatomy change, reduction of leaf size, and reduction of total leaf area to limit the water loss and guarantee the photosynthesis process. Furthermore, drought stress influences gas exchange and other physiological parameters. Recent acquisitions on the mechanism of signal transduction and the development of drought tolerance in plants are useful to understand the action mechanisms. Dr. Stefania Toscano Dr. Giulia Franzoni Dr. Sara Álvarez Guest Editors