Climate Change and Abiotic Stresses in Plants

Abstract

Any altered physiological conditions which can hamper the growth and development of crop plants that is denoted as stress. The challenges of abiotic stress on plant growth and development are evident among the emerging ecological impacts of climate change. In a compatible environment for one genotype may not be fitable for another. The field of plant abiotic stress encompasses all studies on abiotic factors or stresses from the environment that can impose stress on a variety of species. Abiotic stress induces redox imbalance during reproductive growth. These studies indicate that stress induced over accumulation of ROS leads to pollen abortion and programmed cell death of microspores in developing anthers consequently resulting in male sterility. With these changing climatic conditions climate resilient crops and crop varieties have been recommended as a way for farmers to cope with or adopt to climate change. Integrated physiological and molecular approaches are important for combating multiple abiotic stresses.