This edited book highlights the molecular basis of various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, defense mechanisms and adaptation strategies employed by plants to avoid the stressful conditions. Special focus is given to gene expression, omics and other latest technologies such as CRISPR-Cas mediated genome editing applications for defense related studies in plants. Environmental stresses such as drought, salinity or floods etc. induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes severe damage to cell membrane integrity by accelerating lipid peroxidation. To counteract the detrimental effect of ROS, plants are inherited with an intricate and vibrant antioxidant defense system, comprised of enzymatic (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, guaiacol peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase etc.), and non-enzymatic (glutathione, ascorbate, α-tocopherol, carotenoids, flavonoids etc.) antioxidants, which scavenge and/or reduce excess ROS and improve plant tolerance to various stresses. Stress tolerance in most crop plants is positively correlated with an efficient antioxidant system. Therefore, studying the efficiency of antioxidant defense systems in plants is necessary for facilitating the plant’s nature of adaptation against challenging environments. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers and academic experts. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of biotechnology and molecular biology of plants.

The present edited book is an attempt to update the state of art of the knowledge on metabolism of ROS and antioxidants and their relationship in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses involving physiological, biochemical and molecular processes. The chapters are much focused on the current climate issues and how ROS metabolism can manipulate with antioxidant system to accelerate detoxification mechanism. It will enhance the mechanistic understanding on ROS and antioxidants system and will pave the path for agricultural scientists in developing tolerant crops to achieve sustainability under the changing environmental conditions. The increase in abiotic stress factors has become a major threat to sustainability of crop production. This situation has led to think ways which can help to come out with potential measures; for which it is necessary to understand the influence of abiotic stress factors on crops performance and the mechanisms by which these factors impact plants. It has now become evident that abiotic stress impacts negatively on plant growth and development at every stage of plant’s life. Plants adapt to the changing environment with the adjustment at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels. The possible mechanisms involved in the negative effects of abiotic stress factors are excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). They alter physiological and molecular mechanisms leading to poor performance of plants. Plants however, are able to cope with these adverse effects by inducing antioxidant systems as the priority. Nevertheless, the dual role of ROS has now been ascertained which provides an evidence for regulation of plant metabolism positively on a concentration-dependent manner. Under conditions of high ROS production, the antioxidant system plays a major role in diminishing the effects of ROS. Thus, ROS production and antioxidant system are interwoven with abiotic stress conditions. The antioxidants have the capacity to hold the stability in metabolism in order to avoid disruption due to environmental disturbances.

Since recent years, the population across the globe is increasing expeditiously; hence increasing the agricultural productivity to meet the food demands of the thriving population becomes a challenging task. Abiotic stresses pose as a major threat to agricultural productivity. Having an adequate knowledge and apprehension of the physiology and molecular biology of stress tolerance in plants is a prerequisite for counteracting the adverse effect of such stresses to a wider range. This book deals with the responses and tolerance mechanisms of plants towards various abiotic stresses. The advent of molecular biology and biotechnology has shifted the interest of researchers towards unraveling the genes involved in stress tolerance. More effort is being made to understand and pave ways for developing stress tolerance mechanisms in crop plants. Several technologies including Microarray technology, functional genomics, on gel and off gel proteomic approaches have proved to be of utmost importance by helping the physiologists, molecular biologists and biotechnologists in identifying and exploiting various stress tolerance genes and factors for enhancing stress tolerance in plants. This book would serve as an exemplary source of scientific information pertaining to abiotic stress responses and tolerance mechanisms towards various abiotic stresses. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

In this ready reference, a global team of experts comprehensively cover molecular and cell biology-based approaches to the impact of increasing global temperatures on crop productivity. The work is divided into four parts. Following an introduction to the general challenges for agriculture around the globe due to climate change, part two discusses how the resulting increase of abiotic stress factors can be dealt with. The third part then outlines the different strategies and approaches to address the challenge of climate change, and the whole is rounded off by a number of specific examples of improvements to crop productivity. With its forward-looking focus on solutions, this book is an indispensable help for the agro-industry, policy makers and academia.

This book reviews recent research advances in sustainable agriculture, with focus on crop production, biodiversity and biofuels in Africa and Asia.

Crops experience an assortment of environmental stresses which include abiotic viz., drought, water logging, salinity, extremes of temperature, high variability in radiation, subtle but perceptible changes in atmospheric gases and biotic viz., insects, birds, other pests, weeds, pathogens (viruses and other microbes). The ability to tolerate or adapt and overwinter by effectively countering these stresses is a very multifaceted phenomenon. In addition, the inability to do so which renders the crops susceptible is again the result of various exogenous and endogenous interactions in the ecosystem. Both biotic and abiotic stresses occur at various stages of plant development and frequently more than one stress concurrently affects the crop. Stresses result in both universal and definite effects on plant growth and development. One of the imposing tasks for the crop researchers globally is to distinguish and to diminish effects of these stress factors on the performance of crop plants, especially with respect to yield and quality of harvested products. This is of special significance in view of the impending climate change, with complex consequences for economically profitable and ecologically and environmentally sound global agriculture. The challenge at the hands of the crop scientist in such a scenario is to promote a competitive and multifunctional agriculture, leading to the production of highly nourishing, healthy and secure food and animal feed as well as raw materials for a wide variety of industrial applications. In order to successfully meet this challenge researchers have to understand the various aspects of these stresses in view of the current development from molecules to ecosystems. The book will focus on broad research areas in relation to these stresses which are in the forefront in contemporary crop stress research.

With contributions that review research on this topic throughout the world, Oxidative Damage to Plants covers key areas of discovery, from the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROSs), their mechanisms, quenching of these ROSs through enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and detailed aspects of such antioxidants as SOD and CAT. Environmental stress is responsible for the generation of oxidative stress, which causes oxidative damage to biomolecules and hence reduces crop yield. To cope up with these problems, scientists have to fully understand the generation of reactive oxygen species, its impact on plants and how plants will be able to withstand these stresses. - Provides invaluable information about the role of antioxidants in alleviating oxidative stress - Examines both the negative effects (senescence, impaired photosynthesis and necrosis) and positive effects (crucial role that superoxide plays against invading microbes) of ROS on plants - Features contributors from a variety of regions globally

A close examination of current research on abiotic stresses in various plant species The unpredictable environmental stress conditions associated with climate change are significant challenges to global food security, crop productivity, and agricultural sustainability. Rapid population growth and diminishing resources necessitate the development of crops that can adapt to environmental extremities. Although significant advancements have been made in developing plants through improved crop breeding practices and genetic manipulation, further research is necessary to understand how genes and metabolites for stress tolerance are modulated, and how cross-talk and regulators can be tuned to achieve stress tolerance. Molecular Plant Abiotic Stress: Biology and Biotechnology is an extensive investigation of the various forms of abiotic stresses encountered in plants, and susceptibility or tolerance mechanisms found in different plant species. In-depth examination of morphological, anatomical, biochemical, molecular and gene expression levels enables plant scientists to identify the different pathways and signaling cascades involved in stress response. This timely book: Covers a wide range of abiotic stresses in multiple plant species Provides researchers and scientists with transgenic strategies to overcome stress tolerances in several plant species Compiles the most recent research and up-to-date data on stress tolerance Examines both selective breeding and genetic engineering approaches to improving plant stress tolerances Written and edited by prominent scientists and researchers from across the globe Molecular Plant Abiotic Stress: Biology and Biotechnology is a valuable source of information for students, academics, scientists, researchers, and industry professionals in fields including agriculture, botany, molecular biology, biochemistry and biotechnology, and plant physiology.

Plants have to manage a series of environmental stresses throughout their entire lifespan. Among these, abiotic stress is the most detrimental; one that is responsible for nearly 50% of crop yield reduction and appears to be a potential threat to global food security in coming decades. Plant growth and development reduces drastically due to adverse effects of abiotic stresses. It has been estimated that crop can exhibit only 30% of their genetic potentiality under abiotic stress condition. So, this is a fundamental need to understand the stress responses to facilitate breeders to develop stress resistant and stress tolerant cultivars along with good management practices to withstand abiotic stresses. Also, a holistic approach to understanding the molecular and biochemical interactions of plants is important to implement the knowledge of resistance mechanisms under abiotic stresses. Agronomic practices like selecting cultivars that is tolerant to wide range of climatic condition, planting date, irrigation scheduling, fertilizer management could be some of the effective short-term adaptive tools to fight against abiotic stresses. In addition, “system biology” and “omics approaches” in recent studies offer a long-term opportunity at the molecular level in dealing with abiotic stresses. The genetic approach, for example, selection and identification of major conditioning genes by linkage mapping and quantitative trait loci (QTL), production of mutant genes and transgenic introduction of novel genes, has imparted some tolerant characteristics in crop varieties from their wild ancestors. Recently research has revealed the interactions between micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and plant stress responses exposed to salinity, freezing stress and dehydration. Accordingly transgenic approaches to generate stress-tolerant plant are one of the most interesting researches to date. This book presents the recent development of agronomic and molecular approaches in conferring plant abiotic stress tolerance in an organized way. The present volume will be of great interest among research students and teaching community, and can also be used as reference material by professional researchers.

This book provides detailed and comprehensive information on oxidative damage caused by stresses in plants with especial reference to the metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In plants, as in all aerobic organisms, ROS are common by-products formed by the inevitable leakage of electrons onto O2 from the electron transport activities located in chloroplasts, mitochondria, peroxisomes and in plasma membranes or as a consequence of various metabolic pathways confined in different cellular loci. Environmental stresses such as heat, cold, drought, salinity, heavy-metal toxicity, ozone and ultraviolet radiation as well as pathogens/contagion attack lead to enhanced generation of ROS in plants due to disruption of cellular homeostasis. ROS play a dual role in plants; at low concentrations they act as signaling molecules that facilitate several responses in plant cells, including those promoted by biotic and abiotic agents. In divergence, at high levels they cause damage to cellular constituents triggering oxidative stress. In either case, small antioxidant molecules and enzymes modulate the action of these ambivalent species.