Genotoxic stress, DNA repair, and crop productivity

Abstract

It is generally acknowledged that plants exposed to adverse environments undergo oxidative stress, resulting in severe injury at the cellular and molecular levels. Environmental pollution, caused by anthropogenic activities, as well as water stress and high temperature conditions associated with rapid climate changes contribute to soil deterioration and thus affect crop productivity (Ahmad et al., Abiotic Stress Adaptation in Plants, 2010). When plants are challenged with oxidative stress, protective responses which include a complex network of integrated molecular and cellular events are activated. Initial stress perception and transduction of stress signal are key factors leading to modulation of gene expression and finally to the plant response.