Drought Stress Tolerance in Plants, Vol 1

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Abiotic stress significantly impacts global crop production, reducing average yields by up to 50%. Among these stresses, drought is the leading cause of yield loss worldwide. With the growing global population, drought is projected to contribute to severe food shortages by 2050, exacerbated by climate change that may increase the frequency and intensity of such stresses. There is an urgent need to enhance our understanding of drought stress tolerance mechanisms and to develop resilient crop varieties. Identifying novel genes linked to drought tolerance will aid in elucidating the molecular responses of crops to drought. Discovering these genes, analyzing their expression under drought conditions, and understanding their roles in adaptation will inform effective strategies for engineering drought-resistant crops. While the detailed mechanisms of water stress tolerance remain unclear, they can partly be explained through ion homeostasis, toxic radical scavenging, osmolyte biosynthesis, water transport, and signaling coordination. Fully understanding the physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes involved in drought perception, transduction, and tolerance remains a challenge for plant biologists. The findings presented highlight the physiological and biochemical aspects of drought stress affecting crop productivity, while summarizing current knowledge on the molecular and genetic mechanisms of drought resistance in plant