Crop Reactions to Environmental Stress Factors

Abstract

Agricultural productivity is strongly reduced by biotic and abiotic factors and much effort goes into breeding for stress tolerant varieties and into agronomic measures. Breeding research, to date, concentrated on physiological characteristics which determine tolerance. Unfortunately, simple plant characteristics are seldom reflected in plant growth and even less in crop productivity as the direct link between growth and the characteristic studied is lost in feedback control mechanisms and in the variance from other environmental and developmental factors. Simple measuring and observation techniques combined with swnmary models of crop growth quantify the impact of certain stress factors before a costly breeding programme is started. Additionally, more fundamental research will improve our understanding of the feedback mechanisms in plants. The relevance of some recent findings to modelling, breeding and practice is discussed in seven theses.