Molecular Strategies for Development of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants

Abstract

It is an established fact that abiotic stresses are a major cause of productivity losses worldwide. Abiotic stresses not onlyreduce crop yield but also limit the area that can be brought under productive cultivation. Global warming has only addedto this already grim scenario. Development of novel, stress resistant genotypes through transgenic technology is seen as aviable solution to this critical problem. However, different abiotic stresses have distinctive primary effects on plants,while all of them have a common denominator in the form of production of reactive oxygen species. Therefore,understanding the biochemical and molecular basis of differential abiotic stress effectors is critically important for thedevelopment of transgenic crops. Further, novel gene discovery, annotation and validation is an integral part of thisprocess. The current review highlights various strategies that have been employed to develop transgenic crops resistantto specific abiotic stresses, along with exploring the use of nanotechnology in developing stress tolerance in plants.