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Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 35976

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Prasanta K. Subudhi

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Guest Editor

School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: abiotic stress; rice; maize
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic stresses are major factors for losses in agricultural production worldwide. In this Special Issue, we shall focus on several abiotic stressors, such as drought, salinity, alkalinity, temperature extremes, flooding, nutrient deficiency, and toxicity. The ongoing climate change is the major driver for the increased frequency and severity of these stresses. To ensure food security for a world population of 10 billion by 2050, the major challenge for plant scientists is to devise novel strategies to mitigate the abiotic stresses affecting various crops. One fruitful strategy to enhance adaptation and productivity of crop plants under abiotic stress environments is to design stress-tolerant varieties.

However, realizing this goal will require advances in the following areas: identification and utilization of novel sources of abiotic stress tolerance, a thorough understanding of the physiological and molecular basis of stress response, identification of traits and the underlying genetic factors conferring abiotic stress tolerance, and development of molecular tools for successful transfer of stress tolerance genes.

Contribution of both original research articles and reviews is welcome for this Special Issue on the following topics:

Identification and utilization of novel sources of abiotic stress tolerance;
Insights into the physiological and molecular basis of abiotic stress tolerance;
Application of conventional breeding to enhance abiotic stress tolerance;
QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection;
Candidate genes associated with abiotic stress tolerance and their validation;
Application of genetic engineering and genome editing to improve abiotic stress tolerance;
Application of next-generation sequencing-based tools to improve abiotic stress tolerance.

Prof. Prasanta K. Subudhi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

salinity
drought
temperature extremes
submergence
genetics
breeding
biotechnology
marker-assisted selection
next-generation sequencing
candidate genes
QTL mapping
phenomics
genetic engineering
wide hybridization
tissue culture
germplasm enhancement

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 2519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Transcriptomic Meta-Analysis Revealed Conserved Key Genes and Regulatory Networks Involved in Drought Tolerance in Cereal Crops

by Elena Baldoni, Giovanna Frugis, Federico Martinelli, Jubina Benny, Donatella Paffetti and Matteo Buti

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(23), 13062; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222313062 - 2 Dec 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3010

Abstract

Drought affects plant growth and development, causing severe yield losses, especially in cereal crops. The identification of genes involved in drought tolerance is crucial for the development of drought-tolerant crops. The aim of this study was to identify genes that are conserved key players for conferring drought tolerance in cereals. By comparing the transcriptomic changes between tolerant and susceptible genotypes in four Gramineae species, we identified 69 conserved drought tolerant-related (CDT) genes that are potentially involved in the drought tolerance of all of the analysed species. The CDT genes are principally involved in stress response, photosynthesis, chlorophyll biogenesis, secondary metabolism, jasmonic acid signalling, and cellular transport. Twenty CDT genes are not yet characterized and can be novel candidates for drought tolerance. The k-means clustering analysis of expression data highlighted the prominent roles of photosynthesis and leaf senescence-related mechanisms in differentiating the drought response between tolerant and sensitive genotypes. In addition, we identified specific transcription factors that could regulate the expression of photosynthesis and leaf senescence-related genes. Our analysis suggests that the balance between the induction of leaf senescence and maintenance of photosynthesis during drought plays a major role in tolerance. Fine-tuning of CDT gene expression modulation by specific transcription factors can be the key to improving drought tolerance in cereals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

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15 pages, 2273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ectopic Expression of a Heterologous Glutaredoxin Enhances Drought Tolerance and Grain Yield in Field Grown Maize

by Tej Man Tamang, Stuart A. Sprague, Tayebeh Kakeshpour, Sanzhen Liu, Frank F. White and Sunghun Park

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(10), 5331; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22105331 - 19 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2514

Abstract

Drought stress is a major constraint in global maize production, causing almost 30–90% of the yield loss depending upon growth stage and the degree and duration of the stress. Here, we report that ectopic expression of Arabidopsis glutaredoxin S17 (AtGRXS17) in field grown maize conferred tolerance to drought stress during the reproductive stage, which is the most drought sensitive stage for seed set and, consequently, grain yield. AtGRXS17-expressing maize lines displayed higher seed set in the field, resulting in 2-fold and 1.5-fold increase in yield in comparison to the non-transgenic plants when challenged with drought stress at the tasseling and silking/pollination stages, respectively. AtGRXS17-expressing lines showed higher relative water content, higher chlorophyll content, and less hydrogen peroxide accumulation than wild-type (WT) control plants under drought conditions. AtGRXS17-expressing lines also exhibited at least 2-fold more pollen germination than WT plants under drought stress. Compared to the transgenic maize, WT controls accumulated higher amount of proline, indicating that WT plants were more stressed over the same period. The results present a robust and simple strategy for meeting rising yield demands in maize under water limiting conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

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Review

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28 pages, 24021 KiB

Open AccessReview

Adaptive Mechanisms of Halophytes and Their Potential in Improving Salinity Tolerance in Plants

by Md. Mezanur Rahman, Mohammad Golam Mostofa, Sanjida Sultana Keya, Md. Nurealam Siddiqui, Md. Mesbah Uddin Ansary, Ashim Kumar Das, Md. Abiar Rahman and Lam Son-Phan Tran

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910733 - 3 Oct 2021

Cited by 79 | Viewed by 10167

Abstract

Soil salinization, which is aggravated by climate change and inappropriate anthropogenic activities, has emerged as a serious environmental problem, threatening sustainable agriculture and future food security. Although there has been considerable progress in developing crop varieties by introducing salt tolerance-associated traits, most crop cultivars grown in saline soils still exhibit a decline in yield, necessitating the search for alternatives. Halophytes, with their intrinsic salt tolerance characteristics, are known to have great potential in rehabilitating salt-contaminated soils to support plant growth in saline soils by employing various strategies, including phytoremediation. In addition, the recent identification and characterization of salt tolerance-related genes encoding signaling components from halophytes, which are naturally grown under high salinity, have paved the way for the development of transgenic crops with improved salt tolerance. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive update on salinity-induced negative effects on soils and plants, including alterations of physicochemical properties in soils, and changes in physiological and biochemical processes and ion disparities in plants. We also review the physiological and biochemical adaptation strategies that help halophytes grow and survive in salinity-affected areas. Furthermore, we illustrate the halophyte-mediated phytoremediation process in salinity-affected areas, as well as their potential impacts on soil properties. Importantly, based on the recent findings on salt tolerance mechanisms in halophytes, we also comprehensively discuss the potential of improving salt tolerance in crop plants by introducing candidate genes related to antiporters, ion transporters, antioxidants, and defense proteins from halophytes for conserving sustainable agriculture in salinity-prone areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

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18 pages, 674 KiB

Open AccessReview

Exploitation of Drought Tolerance-Related Genes for Crop Improvement

by Jingyi Wang, Chaonan Li, Long Li, Matthew Reynolds, Xinguo Mao and Ruilian Jing

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10265; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910265 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4067

Abstract

Drought has become a major threat to food security, because it affects crop growth and development. Drought tolerance is an important quantitative trait, which is regulated by hundreds of genes in crop plants. In recent decades, scientists have made considerable progress to uncover the genetic and molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance, especially in model plants. This review summarizes the evaluation criteria for drought tolerance, methods for gene mining, characterization of genes related to drought tolerance, and explores the approaches to enhance crop drought tolerance. Collectively, this review illustrates the application prospect of these genes in improving the drought tolerance breeding of crop plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

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13 pages, 582 KiB

Open AccessReview

High-Throughput Phenotyping Methods for Breeding Drought-Tolerant Crops

by Minsu Kim, Chaewon Lee, Subin Hong, Song Lim Kim, Jeong-Ho Baek and Kyung-Hwan Kim

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(15), 8266; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22158266 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3343

Abstract

Drought is a main factor limiting crop yields. Modern agricultural technologies such as irrigation systems, ground mulching, and rainwater storage can prevent drought, but these are only temporary solutions. Understanding the physiological, biochemical, and molecular reactions of plants to drought stress is therefore urgent. The recent rapid development of genomics tools has led to an increasing interest in phenomics, i.e., the study of phenotypic plant traits. Among phenomic strategies, high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) is attracting increasing attention as a way to address the bottlenecks of genomic and phenomic studies. HTP provides researchers a non-destructive and non-invasive method yet accurate in analyzing large-scale phenotypic data. This review describes plant responses to drought stress and introduces HTP methods that can detect changes in plant phenotypes in response to drought. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

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16 pages, 1047 KiB

Open AccessReview

Engineering Climate-Change-Resilient Crops: New Tools and Approaches

by Fahimeh Shahinnia, Néstor Carrillo and Mohammad-Reza Hajirezaei

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(15), 7877; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22157877 - 23 Jul 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2764

Abstract

Environmental adversities, particularly drought and nutrient limitation, are among the major causes of crop losses worldwide. Due to the rapid increase of the world’s population, there is an urgent need to combine knowledge of plant science with innovative applications in agriculture to protect plant growth and thus enhance crop yield. In recent decades, engineering strategies have been successfully developed with the aim to improve growth and stress tolerance in plants. Most strategies applied so far have relied on transgenic approaches and/or chemical treatments. However, to cope with rapid climate change and the need to secure sustainable agriculture and biomass production, innovative approaches need to be developed to effectively meet these challenges and demands. In this review, we summarize recent and advanced strategies that involve the use of plant-related cyanobacterial proteins, macro- and micronutrient management, nutrient-coated nanoparticles, and phytopathogenic organisms, all of which offer promise as protective resources to shield plants from climate challenges and to boost stress tolerance in crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

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Graphical abstract

17 pages, 3456 KiB

Open AccessReview

Tuning Beforehand: A Foresight on RNA Interference (RNAi) and In Vitro-Derived dsRNAs to Enhance Crop Resilience to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

by Eltayb Abdellatef, Nasrein Mohamed Kamal and Hisashi Tsujimoto

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(14), 7687; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147687 - 19 Jul 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7945

Abstract

Crop yield is severely affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. Plants adapt to these stresses mainly through gene expression reprogramming at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Recently, the exogenous application of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) and RNA interference (RNAi) technology has emerged as a sustainable and publicly acceptable alternative to genetic transformation, hence, small RNAs (micro-RNAs and small interfering RNAs) have an important role in combating biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. RNAi limits the transcript level by either suppressing transcription (transcriptional gene silencing) or activating sequence-specific RNA degradation (post-transcriptional gene silencing). Using RNAi tools and their respective targets in abiotic stress responses in many crops is well documented. Many miRNAs families are reported in plant tolerance response or adaptation to drought, salinity, and temperature stresses. In biotic stress, the spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) provides an intelligent method of using dsRNA as a trigger to silence target genes in pests and pathogens without producing side effects such as those caused by chemical pesticides. In this review, we focus on the potential of SIGS as the most recent application of RNAi in agriculture and point out the trends, challenges, and risks of production technologies. Additionally, we provide insights into the potential applications of exogenous RNAi against biotic stresses. We also review the current status of RNAi/miRNA tools and their respective targets on abiotic stress and the most common responsive miRNA families triggered by stress conditions in different crop species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

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