Coping with low moisture stress: Remembering and responding

Abstract

Low-moisture stress, also referred to as drought, is one of the major factors thatnegatively impact the agricultural yield. The present scenario of climate change isexpected to aggravate it further. Considering the extended time required to developresistant crops, it is important to prioritize research efforts for coping with low mois-ture, prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. While agricultural yield is atradeoff between many choices, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses comes withyield penalties. To balance the tradeoffs and maximize productivity, the use ofregion-specific cultivars and/or introgression of precise genetic proportions in anelite variety may prove useful. Stress memory is an emerging approach that helpsplants to record and respond to repeated stress in an effective manner. In thiscontext, we discuss the role of“stress memory”in imparting drought tolerance in plants.Future research efforts for its effective deployment for“drought hardening”in agricul-tural settings, along with a discussion on the yield tradeoff involved, is implicated.