Agronomic Management for Enhancing Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses—Drought, Salinity, Hypoxia, and Lodging

Abstract

Abiotic stresses are currently responsible for significant losses in quantity and reduction in quality of global crop productions. In consequence, resilience against such stresses is one of the key aims of farmers and is attained by adopting both suitable genotypes and management practices. This latter aspect was reviewed from an agronomic point of view, taking into account stresses due to drought, water excess, salinity, and lodging. For example, drought tolerance may be enhanced by using lower plant density, anticipating the sowing or transplant as much as possible, using grafting with tolerant rootstocks, and optimizing the control of weeds. Water excess or hypoxic conditions during winter and spring can be treated with nitrate fertilizers, which increase survival rate. Salinity stress of sensitive crops may be alleviated by maintaining water content close to the field capacity by frequent and low-volume irrigation. Lodging can be prevented by installing shelterbelts against dominant winds, adopting equilibrated nitrogen fertilization, choosing a suitable plant density, and optimizing the management of pests and biotic diseases harmful to the stability and mechanic resistance of stems and roots.

Biostimulants Application in Horticultural Crops under Abiotic Stress Conditions

“…Based on future scenarios, adaptation and mitigation are essential to increase the resilience capacity of agricultural systems and to ensure crops yield and quality. Since environmental conditions cannot be controlled, several strategies on different levels are required, such as agronomical techniques or breeding of more tolerant cultivars [8].…”

“…Agronomic management conducted in order to enhance plant tolerance towards abiotic stresses evolved over the centuries due to the technologic progress, climate change, scientific knowledge, and farmers' experiences. The choice of the correct cultivar, the best growing period, the sowing density, and the amount of water or fertilizers are some of the most common strategies applied to mitigate the negative effects of abiotic stresses [8]. Protected cultivation is a cropping technique adopted to preserve plants from unfavourable outdoor conditions.…”

Response of Mediterranean Ornamental Plants to Drought Stress

“…Drought stress is a common stress in plants grown in the Mediterranean area, and several ornamental shrubs subjected to water availability increase the activity of these enzymes [36]. Reduced photosynthetic activity also affects sugar concentration since respiration under drought increases because the plant temperature increases [109]. Plants under normal conditions are able to maintain the leaf temperature in the optimal range for photosynthesis by their thermoregulation ability, which is due to the evaporation of water at the leaf level through transpiration.…”

“…It has been demonstrated that Arabidopsis plants overexpressing genes involved in cytokinin biosynthesis showed higher drought stress tolerance [115]. These plant hormones have a preferential site of biosynthesis in roots, and drought stress seems to Reduced photosynthetic activity also affects sugar concentration since respiration under drought increases because the plant temperature increases [109]. Plants under normal conditions are able to maintain the leaf temperature in the optimal range for photosynthesis by their thermoregulation ability, which is due to the evaporation of water at the leaf level through transpiration.…”

Phenotypic Diversity and Pest Management of Potato Varieties Grown at Baffa Mansehra

“…Therefore, it is necessary to develop an alternate method of pest control [36,37]. The most reliable and sustainable strategy/approach could be built to control alternatives for managing pest problems [38], although to grow more capable crops under biotic stresses such as viruses, bacteria, insect and pest [39][40][41], which responded to various insect and pest [42,43] invaders, while in developing countries farmers have cultivated insect/pest-resistant crops [44,45].…”