Physical Eustressors as Potential Tools to Improve Crop Stress Tolerance (Review)

Abstract

Background. The processes occurring in plants and their seeds under stress, as well as the defense mechanisms used by plants under stress, are poorly understood, which makes it impossible to use them to increase yields.
 Purpose. Review and analysis of scientific publications, devoted to the phenomenon of stress memory acquired by plants as a result of physical stressors on their seeds and possible applications of this phenomenon in plant growing and crop breeding.
 Materials and methods. A selection and systematic review of scientific articles on the research topic for the period 2016-2023 was performed. The study consisted of the following steps: research literature search, evaluation and selection, data synthesis and analysis.
 Results. The use of hormetic effects of physical agents to stimulate seed germination of crops is effective. Responses to abiotic stresses could be 'trained' by priming so that the plant becomes better able to cope with later stress. Evidence of short-term and transgenerational memory formation following plant priming has been obtained. An epigenetic mechanism for the formation of long-term stress memory in plants as a result of a physical eustressor has been identified. The eustressor induces specific epigenetic marks associated with environmental adaptation, forming a new stress-resistant plant phenotype. Physical eustressors have the potential to impart stress tolerance to crops to enhance phenotypic characteristics to prevent yield losses.
 Conclusion. Seed treatment with physical stressors builds plant tolerance and memory to abiotic stresses, but scientific evidence on this issue is incomplete and sketchy. The understanding and application of stress memory for breeding purposes is currently limited, but it has great potential for the development of new crop varieties.