Plants are sessile beings, so the need of mechanisms to flee from unfavorable circumstances has provided the development of unique and sophisticated responses to environmental stresses. Depending on the degree of plasticity, many morphological, cellular, anatomical, and physiological changes occur in plants in response to abiotic stress. Phytohormones are small molecules that play critical roles in regulating plant growth and development, as well as stress tolerance to promote survival and acclimatize to varying environments. To congregate the challenges of salinity, temperature extremes, and osmotic stress, plants use their genetic mechanism and different adaptive and biological approaches for survival and high production. In the present attempt, we review the potential role of different phytohormones and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in abiotic stresses and summarize the research progress in plant responses to abiotic stresses at physiological and molecular levels. We emphasized the regulatory circuits of abscisic acid, indole acetic acid, cytokinins, gibberellic acid, salicylic acid, brassinosteroids, jasmonates, ethylene, and triazole on exposure to abiotic stresses. Current progress is exemplified by the identification and validation of several significant genes that enhanced crop tolerance to stress in the field. These findings will make the modification of hormone biosynthetic pathways for the transgenic plant generation with augmented abiotic stress tolerance and boosting crop productivity in the coming decades possible.

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Zinc (Zn) fertilization could be a viable approach for minimizing cadmium (Cd) accumulation in the food chain. The present study was carried out to investigate the role of various Zn fertilization treatments (control, foliar application at tasseling stage, foliar application at milky stage, rubber ash application, soil application of ZnSO4) and cultivars (Pop 2004B, Pop 2006, Azam, Sarhad (W), Pahari) on grain yield, grain Zn, and grain Cd concentrations in maize. All Zn fertilization treatments resulted in a significantly higher grain yield, higher grain Zn concentration, and reduced grain Cd concentration. The application of rubber ash remained the best among all Zn fertilization treatments as it resulted in a higher grain yield of 62% and a reduced grain Cd concentration by 57% compared to control. Contradictions were apparent between cultivars, and the cultivars which recorded a higher grain yield had a lower Zn concentration in their grains and vice versa. Regarding Cd accumulation, all cultivars except Azam, retained less Cd with increased grain Zn concentration. Future studies should focus on breeding/selection of high yielding and high quality cultivars. Furthermore, the feasibility of rubber ash maybe tested under different climatic and edaphic conditions against other heavy metals and other crops as well.

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Rice diseases (bacterial, fungal, or viral) threaten food productivity. Host resistance is the most efficient, environmentally friendly method to cope with such diverse pathogens. Quantitative resistance conferred by quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is a valuable resource for rice disease resistance improvement. Although QTLs confer partial but durable resistance to many pathogen species in different crop plants, the molecular mechanisms of quantitative disease resistance remain mostly unknown. Quantitative resistance and non-host resistance are types of broad-spectrum resistance, which are mediated by resistance (R) genes. Because R genes activate different resistance pathways, investigating the genetic spectrum of resistance may lead to minimal losses from harmful diseases. Genome studies can reveal interactions between different genes and their pathways and provide insight into gene functions. Protein–protein interaction (proteomics) studies using molecular and bioinformatics tools may further enlighten our understanding of resistance phenomena.

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Stagnant flooding (SF) during vegetative growth triggers stem elongation usually at the cost of tiller production in rice, reducing grain yield. To explore physiological mechanisms associated with tillering suppression under SF, three contrasting genotypes (Swarna and Swarna‐Sub1, both sensitive and IRRI154, tolerant) were evaluated under standing water depths of 0, 5, 30 and 50 cm. SF significantly suppressed tiller formation but increased plant height, root biomass, shoot elongation (ratio of plant height before and after flooding), leaf emergency and non‐structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentration (in root–shoot junction) in all genotypes at the early stage of development. Chlorophyll concentration in the upper leaves (upper most fully expanded leaf at top) was higher than in lower leaves (lowest green leaf at base), but decreased under SF in both. SF increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at the early stage of treatment, with concomitant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) production by stems and leaves. MDA concentration in root–shoot junction increased but delayed. Tiller number correlated negatively with plant height, shoot elongation, leaf emergency, MDA concentration in leaves and root–shoot junction, root biomass, and NSC concentration in the root–shoot junction. The results suggested existence of compensatory mechanisms between tiller growth and shoot elongation in rice for resilience under SF, where energy is mainly diverted for shoot elongation to escape flooding. The SF‐tolerant genotype produced less H2O2 and maintained energy balance for higher survival and better growth under stagnant flooding.