Insights into the Drought Stress Tolerance Mechanisms of Sesame: The Queen of Oilseeds

Sesamum indicum L. (sesame) is a traditional oilseed crop grown extensively in tropical and subtropical areas. In recent years, it has received more attention due to the health-promoting properties of its seed oil. Although production increased globally, its productivity is very low in different regions due to the harmful effects of biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, studying the environmental stress response mechanisms for improving productivity and yield is crucial in sesame research. Drought is a major abiotic stress that adversely affects sesame productivity worldwide. Sesame is typically a drought-tolerant crop; however, intense and prolonged drought limits its growth and impairs flower production, ultimately affecting the yield and sometimes resulting in plant mortality. Different varieties of sesame exhibit contrasting responses to drought stress, indicating the existence of different molecular mechanisms. The paper discusses the advancement in screening methodologies for drought tolerance, inheritance, biochemical and molecular aspects, transgenic approaches, and quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with drought stress tolerance in sesame with the aid of citation network analysis (CNA).