Drought Stress in Horticultural Plants

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