Response of Cultivated Industrial Crops to Abiotic Stress: Strategies to Enhance Target Metabolite Productivity

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are known for their valuable secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids and steroids, fatty acid-derived substances, and alkaloids, which possess various therapeutic and aromatic properties. However, these plants are often exposed to various abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and heavy metals, which negatively impact their growth and essential metabolite production. However, in response to these abiotic/environmental stresses, plants evolve various physiological and biochemical adaptation mechanisms for their protection and survival. These mechanisms include adjustment of the plant membrane system, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phytohormone, and accumulation of osmolytes in the cellular compartments of plant cells. These vital compounds act as a defense system for plants in adverse environmental conditions. Secondary metabolites in plants are also affected by stress conditions. However, they play a major role in the adaptation and survival of plants to the changing environment and stress conditions. The level of stress in medicinal and aromatic plants leads to production of the secondary metabolites in the plants. This chapter will describe a detailed review of the effect of abiotic stress on secondary metabolites of different medicinal and aromatic plants.