Unraveling Field Crops Sensitivity to Heat Stress: Mechanisms, Approaches, and Future Prospects

Abstract

The astonishing increase in temperature presents an alarming threat to crop production worldwide. As evident by huge yield decline in various crops, the escalating drastic impacts of heat stress (HS) are putting global food production as well as nutritional security at high risk. HS is a major abiotic stress that influences plant morphology, physiology, reproduction, and productivity worldwide. The physiological and molecular responses to HS are dynamic research areas, and molecular techniques are being adopted for producing heat tolerant crop plants. In this article, we reviewed recent findings, impacts, adoption, and tolerance at the cellular, organellar, and whole plant level and reported several approaches that are used to improve HS tolerance in crop plants. Omics approaches unravel various mechanisms underlying thermotolerance, which is imperative to understand the processes of molecular responses toward HS. Our review about physiological and molecular mechanisms may enlighten ways to develop thermo-tolerant cultivars and to produce crop plants that are agriculturally important in adverse climatic conditions. 128 2 of 34 and osmotic adjustment and re-establish the redox balance of cell and homeostasis by modify the antioxidant system [10,11]. A plant in defense from HS causes modifications at the molecular level in the expression of genes [12]. In HS conditions, change in biochemical and physiological activities by gene expression alter gradually, resulting in the development of thermotolerance [13]. In order to successfully produce HS-tolerant crop varieties in the light of global climate change, there is need of knowledge and investigations about HS-tolerance mechanisms at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels.At present, investigations into selection strategy and breeding for thermotolerant cultivars and understanding of heat tolerance mechanisms are more required today than ever before. Molecular and genetic mechanisms for avoiding HS-induced harmful changes play a crucial role in plant survival under such circumstances. In the present scenario of global warming, the major challenge for plant scientists is to develop new crop varieties tolerant to HS [14]. In the coming years, agricultural production will have to deal with growing crops under sub-optimal conditions accompanied by increased food demand, creating a gap between the current yield achievements and yield potential [15]. Developing genetically modified plants through target genes manipulation, QTLs, and omics techniques are widely studied molecular approaches in recent years. Our study about sensitivity, adaptations, mechanisms, and approaches may uncover ways to develop thermo-tolerant cultivars and to produce crop plants that are agriculturally important in adverse climatic conditions. Plant Sensitivity to Heat StressPlant sensitivity to HS varies with duration, plant type, and the degree of temperature. Plant growth and development are greatly influenced by the series of morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes resul...

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