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Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 19284

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Dr. Najeeb Ullah

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Agricultural Research Station, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Interests: plant breeding and physiology; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

Global crop productivity is seriously threatened by extreme weather events. For examples, climatic stresses such as heat, drought, salinity, and cold stresses are responsible for more than 50% of annual yield loss of major crops. Due to their strong association with yield formation, the reproductive phases of crop development are particularly sensitive to these stresses. Global warming is also responsible for altering weather patterns and frequent extreme events. This increases the risk of crop exposure to abiotic stress during sensitive growth phases. Sustaining crop yield and nutritional quality under changing climates is one of the major goals of plant breeders/managers. Grain yield stability under stressed environments can be achieved through a better understanding of stress-induced changes in crops. The plants respond to these stresses through a complex pathway, which starts with the perception of stress; then triggering a cascade of molecular events; and inducing physiological, metabolic, and developmental changes. To enhance our ability to breed adaptive crops with resilience to individual or combined abiotic stresses, it is essential to gain a better understanding of the abiotic stress tolerance mechanism by integrating physiology and development. This information will used for developing the crops better adapted to the extreme environments.

This Special Issue covers original research and review articles on yield stability of crops under abiotic stresses, i.e., changing CO₂levels, atmospheric temperature, and rainfall patterns. Major aspects may include, but are not limited to, the following: understanding morphological, physiological, and molecular respones of crop plants to these stress events occurring during their reproductive developmental phases. Furthermore, any breeding efforts to improve crop resistance to abiotic stresses would be encouraged.

Submissions on (but not limited to) the following topics are invited: (1) quantifying the impact of abiotic stress on crops during reproductive growth phases; (2) identification of physiological and morphological traits associate with stress tolerance mechanisms; (3) breeding for abiotic stress tolerance; and (4) utilisation of crop wild relatives for abiotic stress resilience.

Dr. Najeeb Ullah
Guest Editor

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Keywords

abiotic stress
reproductive physiology
genetic resources
breeding
crop yield

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4093 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nitrogen Fertilization Improves the Agro-Morphological and Yield Attributes of Sinapis alba L.

by Ehsan Ul Haq, Fayyaz Ul Hassan, Fanrui Zhou, Xiaomin Gong, Abdul Manaf, Ghulam Shabbir, Muhammad Fazal Karim, Patricia Jie Hung King, Muhammad Faheem Adil and Imran Haider Shamsi

Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1621; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061621 - 16 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1591

Abstract

Oilseed crops play a vital role in the economy of Pakistan, yet the production of oilseeds is far less than the demand for them. White mustard (Sinapis alba L.) is an emerging crop, that belongs to the Brassicaceae family. It is considered to be an alternative to all other oilseed crops for dry temperate climates. White mustard develops rapidly, and has a large canopy and deep rooting system; hence, it can draw up nutrients from deeper layers. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of nitrogen on S. alba agro-morphological attributes and enhance nutrient use efficiencies. During the Rabi seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21, an experiment was conducted at the University Research Farm, Chakwal Road, Rawalpindi. The study included seven treatments, i.e., T1-Control, T2-20, T3-40, T4-60, T5-80, T6-100, and T7-120 kg·ha⁻¹. Each treatment was replicated three times, and the study utilized a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The results revealed that nitrogen at 100 kg·ha⁻¹ was the optimal concentration and significantly increased the agro-morphological parameters, i.e., plant height (47.01%), primary branches (41.36%), secondary branches (45.33%), 1000 seed weight (54.35%), siliques/plant (41.57%), seeds/silique (52.30%) biological yield (68.38%), seed yield (54.90%), harvest index (11%), and oil yield (38.84%), as compared to the control. Moreover, protein contents and oil contents were significantly increased (5.15% and 6%, respectively), as compared to the control, while glucosinolate content was decreased (4.36%). Similarly, maximum agronomic efficiency (AE), apparent recovery efficiency (ARE) (53%), physiological efficiency (PE), and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) were also improved, as compared to the control. Hence, N application at a concentration of 100 kg·ha⁻¹ can be recommended for S. alba under the present cropping system of Pothwar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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20 pages, 3159 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer on Photosynthetic Characteristics and Yield

by Hafeez Noor, Pengcheng Ding, Aixia Ren, Min Sun and Zhiqiang Gao

Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1550; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061550 - 3 Jun 2023

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3970

Abstract

This study aims to understand the influence of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters on the yield of winter wheat in some areas of China. Nitrogen (N) application is believed to improve photosynthesis in flag leaves, ultimately increasing the final yield. The results from different parameters of research showed that the grain number per spike improved by 12.2% and the 1000-grain weight by 7.3%, respectively. At 20–30 days after anthesis, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and soluble protein in flag leaves of N150 were found to be the most effective. The grain yield under N manure partial substitution for N fertilizer treatment increased by 23 and 15%, respectively. The important implications of photosynthetic characteristics of variable fluorescence yield of the light-adapted state are that the contents of clear, ball, alcohol soluble, gluten, protein, and flour quality showed an increasing trend, while the contents of amylose, amylopectin, total starch, and direct/branch ratio were decreased of wheat. The net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and relative chlorophyll content of wheat. The outcome of the present investigation suggests that chlorophyll fluorescence parameters could be a valuable insight into understanding yield stability under stress conditions. Moreover, the investigated parameters could be useful criteria for the selection of photosynthetic energy under varying nitrogen application levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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19 pages, 1478 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing Drought Tolerance and Water Productivity of Diverse Maize Hybrids (Zea mays) Using Exogenously Applied Biostimulants under Varying Irrigation Levels

by Elsayed Mansour, El-Sayed E. A. El-Sobky, Mohamed I. E. Abdul-Hamid, Eman Abdallah, Abdeltawab M. I. Zedan, Ahmed M. Serag, Cristina Silvar, Salah El-Hendawy and El-Sayed M. Desoky

Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1320; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13051320 - 8 May 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2408

Abstract

Water deficit is a decisive challenge that tremendously affects maize physiological functions and productivity. Hence, it is crucial to ameliorate its tolerance to drought stress, in particular under abrupt climate change and a growing population. The present study aimed to explore the influence of exogenously sprayed moringa seed extract (Moringa oleifera) and α-tocopherol on physio-biochemical, morphological, and yield attributes of six diverse maize hybrids under three irrigation levels in poor-fertility sandy soil. The applied irrigation regimes were based on estimated crop evapotranspiration (ET) using the FAO Penman–Monteith equation. A split–split plot arrangement with a randomized complete block design and three replicates was applied for different treatments. Irrigation levels (100% ET, 75% ET and 50% ET) were established in the main plots, while foliar applications (moringa extract and α-tocopherol) were located in subplots and the assessed hybrids (SC162, SC166, SC167, SC168, SC176, and SC178) in subsubplots. Mild (75% ET) and severe (50% ET) drought stress gradually reduced the gas exchange, photosynthetic efficiency, water relations, and yield traits compared with well-watered conditions (100% ET). However, foliar application of moringa seed extract or α-tocopherol was effective in reinforcing maize tolerance to drought stress by enhancing the accumulation of osmoprotectants, improving antioxidant enzymes, and decreasing levels of peroxidation of membrane lipids and electrolyte leakage compared to untreated control. These positive impacts were reflected in boosting yield traits and crop water productivity under water deficit conditions. The physiological and agronomic performance of the assessed maize hybrids considerably varied under water deficit conditions. The hybrids SC168, SC176, and SC178 exhibited the best performance under mild and severe drought conditions compared with the other hybrids. Consequently, the integration of exogenously applied moringa seed extract or α-tocopherol with tolerant maize hybrids such as SC168, SC176, and SC178 is an efficient approach to ameliorating drought tolerance under water-scarce conditions in arid environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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18 pages, 1395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physiological, Biochemical, Anatomical, and Agronomic Responses of Sesame to Exogenously Applied Polyamines under Different Irrigation Regimes

by El Sayed M. Desoky, Khadiga Alharbi, Mostafa M. Rady, Ahmed S. M. Elnahal, Eman Selem, Safaa M. A. I. Arnaout and Elsayed Mansour

Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 875; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030875 - 16 Mar 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1932

Abstract

Polyamines (PAs) are plant growth regulators that attenuate the destructive impacts of water deficit on sesame plants, particularly in arid regions under abrupt climate change. Limited information is available on the physiological, biochemical, anatomical, and agronomic responses of sesame to exogenous application of PAs under water deficit under field conditions. Thus, a two-season field trial was carried out to assess the impact of exogenously sprayed spermine (Spm), spermidine (Spd), and putrescine (Put) on physio-biochemical and anatomical parameters and their influences on agronomic performance and crop water productivity of sesame plants. The sesame plants were assessed under three irrigation regimes; full irrigation (100% ETc), mild drought (75% ETc), and severe drought (50% ETc) conditions. Drought stress displayed negative impacts on all evaluated parameters. However, exogenously applied Pas, especially Put, restricted the destructive effects of water deficit. The application of PAs exhibited highly significant enhancement in photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids), gas exchange (net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and rate of transpiration), water relations (relative water content, membrane stability index, excised leaf water retention), and plant nutrient content (N, P, and K) compared to untreated plants, particularly under severe drought stress. Moreover, PA application displayed highly significant amelioration in osmoprotectants (free proline, soluble sugars, α-Tocopherol, ascorbate, and glutathione), and antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase). In addition, foliar nourishing with PAs exhibited a highly significant reduction in oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, electrolyte leakage, superoxide, and hydrogen peroxide). These positive impacts of PA application under drought stress were reflected in highly significant improvement in anatomical characteristics (midrib length and width, vascular bundle length and width, thickness of phloem, xylem and collenchyma, vessel diameter, and number of xylem rows in midvein bundle), and yield-related traits (plant height, leaf area, number of capsules per plant, 1000-seed weight, seed yield, and oil content). Consequently, exogenous application of PAs (in particular, Put) could be exploited to enhance the crop water productivity and yield traits of sesame plants under low water availability in arid regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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15 pages, 1897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seed-Primed and Foliar Oxozinc Nanofiber Application Increased Wheat Production and Zn Biofortification in Calcareous-Alkaline Soil

by Wiqar Ahmad, Zhiyou Zou, Muhammad Awais, Fazal Munsif, Aziz Khan, Jaya Nepal, Masood Ahmad, Sultan Akbar, Ijaz Ahmad, Muhammad Shahid Khan, Zahid Qamar and Haroon Khan

Agronomy 2023, 13(2), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020400 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2168

Abstract

Low Zinc (Zn) availability in alkaline calcareous soil is one of the major causes of low cereal yield and quality. Conventional application of Zn sulfate (ZnSO₄) fertilizer through soil application attains minimal Zn efficiency as it is readily fixed in such soils. Oxozinc nanofiber (ZnONF) was evaluated for wheat Zn biofortification using different application methods to tackle this issue. Pots in triplicate (each with 7 kg soil) were arranged in a completely randomized design with a control treatment without Zn application. The conventional ZnSO₄ fertilizer recommended dose (5.5 µg Zn kg⁻¹ of soil) was used for comparison and applied through soil addition, foliar spray, and seed priming, while the ZnO_NF was applied through foliar spray, seed coating, and seed priming (@ 0.5 kg ha⁻¹) either alone or in combination with ½ZnSO₄ applied to the soil. The application of ZnO_NF significantly improved wheat plant growth as evidenced by increased plant height (14.5%), spikelets per spike (13.7%), and Zn use efficacy (611%) regardless of application methods as compared to control. The highest Zn uptake efficiency (34%) for nanofibers was obtained for theseed primed, followed by seed coating (23%) and foiar application (7%), respectively. Moreover, at the combined ZnO_NF and ½ZnSO₄ application, further improvements for spike length, number of spikelets spike⁻¹, grain, leaf, root, and stem Zn concentrations, as well as their respective Zn contents, were noted. These results elucidated that Zn nutrition with ZnONF was either at par with or higher than the conventional ZnSO₄ fertilizer application despite significantly reduced ZnO_NF quantity, irrespective of the application method used. Additionally, the combined ZnO_NF and ½ZnSO₄ (foliar spray, seed coating, or seed priming) maximized the crop Zn accumulation, wherein the ½ZnSO₄ + ZnO_NF through foliar application exceeded grain Zn biofortification. Thus, various Oxozinc nanofibers application modes may be recommended for wheat biofortification either separately or in combination with ZnSO₄ in Zn deficient calcareous soils for improved Zn nourishment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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19 pages, 3404 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exogenous Melatonin Improves Waterlogging Tolerance in Wheat through Promoting Antioxidant Enzymatic Activity and Carbon Assimilation

by Shangyu Ma, Panpan Gai, Bingjie Geng, Yanyan Wang, Najeeb Ullah, Wenjing Zhang, Haipeng Zhang, Yonghui Fan and Zhenglai Huang

Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2876; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12112876 - 17 Nov 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2068

Abstract

In a pot experiment, we explored the regulatory pathways through which melatonin (MT) protects wheat growth and grain yield loss from waterlogging injury. Two wheat cultivars, Yangmai 18 and Yannong 19, were exposed to seven days of soil waterlogging at flowering. Melatonin (100 μmol·L⁻¹) was sprayed before and after waterlogging to explore its regulation on root growth, photosynthetic characteristics, dry matter accumulation, and grain yield. Soil waterlogging intensified malondialdehyde (MDA) and O₂⁻ production rates in wheat tissues, impairing leaf photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, and final grain yield formation. In this study, the roots waterlogged at 7 days after anthesis (DAA) accumulated 20.9%, 76.2%, 17.6%, 28.5%, and 5.6% higher MDA content, O₂⁻ production rate, pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activities, respectively, in Yangmai 18, and 25.7%, 74.8%, 35.8%, 70.8%, and 30.7% higher in Yannong 19, respectively, compared with their respective non-waterlogged controls. Further, Yangmai 18 achieved a maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pn) reduction of 22.1% at 7 DAA, while the maximum Pn reduction of Yannong 19 was 27.4% at 14 DAA, respectively, compared with their respective non-waterlogged plants. Thus, waterlogging decreased total dry matter accumulation, 1000-grain weight (TGW), and total grain yield by 14.0%, 13.8%, and 16.2%, respectively, in Yangmai 18, and 16.0%, 8.1%, and 25.1%, respectively, in Yannong 19. Our study also suggests that exogenously applied melatonin can protect wheat root tissues from waterlogging-induced oxidative injury by upregulating antioxidant enzymes and sustaining leaf photosynthesis. The plants treated with melatonin showed better water status and less oxidative damage, which was conducive to maintaining a higher photosynthetic capacity, thereby improving the waterlogging tolerance of wheat. For example, compared with waterlogged plants, melatonin treatments significantly reduced MDA content, O₂⁻ production rate, PDC, LDH, and ADH activities by 7.7%, 25.4%, 2.6%, 32.1%, and 3.2%, respectively, in Yangmai 18, and 6.7%, 17.9%, 4.1%, 22.0%, and 15.3%, respectively, in Yannong 19. MT treatments significantly increased total dry matter accumulation, TGW, and yield by 5.9%, 8.7%, and 14.9%, respectively, in Yangmai 18, and 3.2%, 7.3%, and 26.0%, respectively, in Yannong 19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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18 pages, 3830 KiB

Open AccessArticle

He–Ne Laser Priming Enhances Drought Tolerance in Wheat through Differential Modification of Photosynthetic Pigments and Antioxidative Enzymes

by Hamza Aslam, Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad, Ambreen Khadija Alvi, Wasifa Rani, Habib-ur-Rehman Athar, Ibrahim Al-Ashkar, Khalid F. Almutairi, Najeeb Ullah and El-Sabagh Ayman

Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2376; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102376 - 1 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2282

Abstract

Water stress seriously impacts agro-systems worldwide, severely affecting plant growth and crop productivity. Radio-priming agents such as lasers can induce stress tolerance in plants due to their physiological roles in growth and development. The potential protective role of He–Ne laser pretreatment (i.e., one, two and five min at 630 nm) was evaluated in germination and growth of two wheat varieties, FSD-2008 and Anaj-2017, under water-stressed (50% field capacity) environments. Drought and laser priming significantly affected the growth (shoot and shoot fresh and dry weight and lengths), grain yield (number of total and fertile tillers and 100-grain weight), biochemical attributes (total soluble proteins and total free amino acids), and ionic concentration of both tested wheat varieties. In this study, the 2 min laser priming treatments were most effective for protecting wheat plants from drought stress. While the prolonged treatment duration significantly inhibited growth. We conclude that laser pretreatment assisted wheat plants in sustaining biomass assimilation, growth and yield formation by protecting their pigments and key metabolites from drought-induced oxidative injury. This study suggested that 2 min of laser priming had a much better result than other time duration, i.e., 1 and 5 min of laser priming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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17 pages, 885 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing Sowing Window for Local and Chinese Elite Lines under Changing Climate

by Bismillah Khan, Muhammad Arif, Fazal Munsif, Muhammad Mehran Anjum, Elżbieta Wójcik-Gront, Aziz Khan, Ijaz Ahmad, Yong Ren, Changping Zhao, Xiangzheng Liao and Shengquan Zhang

Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2232; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092232 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1827

Abstract

Climate change threatens major global crops including wheat of subtropical regions, especially during critical developmental stages. To address this concern, researchers try to identify exotic genetic diversity with pronounced stress tolerance or avoidance or find improved genotypes with optimal sowing time. Current research evaluated seven exotic Chinese wheat genotypes (MY4094, MY1617, MY1416, MY2914, MY1501, MY1419, and MY902) for yield and associated characters along with a local check variety (PS-15) under optimal (1st November), moderate (16th November), and late sowing times (1st December) during both years. The result revealed that delayed sowing reduced yield and yield components of the tested genotypes, including the local check. Genotype MY1617 performed best under optimal sowing in terms of grain yield and yield attributes, with a 5% increase over the local check. MY902 had the highest seed yield among late-sown genotypes. Correlation analysis showed that grain yield was positively correlated with grains per spike, days to anthesis, booting, and heading. The current study provides important information for wheat breeders to exploit exotic genetic materials under a diverse sowing window and develop genotypes with improved traits that may boost wheat growers’ production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops at Reproductive Stages and Crop Improvement Strategies)

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