Salt and Drought Stress Responses in Cultivated Beets (Beta vulgaris L.) and Wild Beet (Beta maritima L.)

Abstract

Cultivated beets, including leaf beets, garden beets, fodder beets, and sugar beets, which belong to the species Beta vulgaris L., are economically important edible crops that have been originated from a halophytic wild ancestor, Beta maritima L. (sea beet or wild beet). Salt and drought are major abiotic stresses, which limit crop growth and production and have been most studied in beets compared to other environmental stresses. Characteristically, beets are salt- and drought-tolerant crops; however, prolonged and persistent exposure to salt and drought stress results in a significant drop in beet productivity and yield. Hence, to harness the best benefits of beet cultivation, knowledge of stress-coping strategies, and stress-tolerant beet varieties, are prerequisites. In the current review, we have summarized morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of sugar beet, fodder beet, red beet, chard (B. vulgaris L.), and their ancestor, wild beet (B. maritima L.) under salt and drought stresses. We have also described the beet genes and noncoding RNAs previously reported for their roles in salt and drought response/tolerance. The plant biologists and breeders can potentiate the utilization of these resources as prospective targets for developing crops with abiotic stress tolerance.

Growth and Mineral Relations of Beta vulgaris var. cicla and Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima Cultivated Hydroponically with Diluted Seawater and Low Nitrogen Level in the Nutrient Solution

“…Its leaves are usually eaten cooked [11]. Sea beet is a facultative halophyte that is more tolerant to drought and salt stress than the cultivated varieties of B. vulgaris, including SC [12]. In previous works that were conducted with plants grown hydroponically with different NaCl concentrations in the nutrient solution, plant growth was reduced above 4.68 and 7.31 g L −1 , respectively, in SC [13] and SB [14].…”

GWAS Reveals a Novel Candidate Gene CmoAP2/ERF in Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) Involved in Resistance to Powdery Mildew

“…Specifically, many breeders have resorted to the wild crop progenitors. These bestow rich genetic diversity and great potential to fortify the modern cultivars with either biotic or abiotic stress tolerance [ 49 , 50 ]. Previously, for breeding of PM resistant varieties, many wild cultivars were identified in various crops, including barley [ 51 ], wine grape [ 52 , 53 ], strawberry [ 54 ], and wheat [ 44 ].…”

An Insight into the Abiotic Stress Responses of Cultivated Beets (Beta vulgaris L.)

“…As an economically important crop plant, cultivated beets have multifarious industrial applications ranging from food and nutrition to sugar and bioethanol production. Despite beet tolerance to different abiotic stresses [ 16 , 24 ], the cultivation of beets is often challenged by various adverse environmental factors [ 34 ]. These climatic abnormalities are anticipated to be more aggravated due to human industrial activities as well as global warming effects.…”

“…Although the beet cultivars show some degree of stress resistance, persistent exposure to these abiotic constraints takes a toll of their development and growth potential. On the other hand, the wild beet ( B. maritima ) displays better stress tolerance compared to the modern beet cultivars as it is rich in allelic diversity [ 18 , 34 ]. Most likely, the modern cultivars lost some of their stress tolerance traits during progressive domestication.…”

“…Although several studies report different responses of beet cultivars to environmental stresses, research articles and reviews mostly focus on salt and drought response mechanisms in beets [ 22 , 23 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. However, a comprehensive review describing the responses of cultivated beets to several abiotic stress factors including cold, heat, alkaline, heavy metal, and UV is lacking.…”