Growth and Morphological Changes of Agronomic Crops Under Abiotic Stress

Abstract

The escalating worldwide need for agricultural products accounts for twofold increase in crop yield by 2050. The agronomic crops especially wheat, maize, rice, barley, sugarcane, etc. contribute greatly to human food. The various environmental conditions impact the yield of agronomic crops globally. Complicating the problem, abiotic stresses especially temperature, heavy metal, drought, water, and salt stress induce toxicity in agronomic crops. Exposure to different abiotic stresses severely affects growth, morphology, productivity, and performance of crops all through the growing period. Further, increased generation of reactive oxygen species under stressful conditions might be linked to the decreased yield and development of agronomic crops. This chapter discusses an overview on the types of abiotic stress in crop plants and their effect on growth and morphological parameters. Additionally, inherent tolerance mechanisms adapted by agro-nomic crops to combat abiotic stress are also discussed briefly in this chapter.