Plant Signaling and Response to Abiotic Stress

Plants are occasionally exposed to unfavorable or stressful conditions such as extreme temperature, drought, salinity, and heavy metals called abiotic stress that limit or sometimes inhibit crop productivity and sustainability. These changes keep on challenging the plant to grow and reproduce itself. Under these conditions, plants sense stress signals and adapt to adverse environments by producing several environmental signals. Several chemical compounds, such as plant growth regulators (PGRs), also modulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses at the cellular, tissue, and organ levels. To receive these signals, the plants develop a signaling network with several receptors, such as phytohormones, G-protein-coupled receptors, kinases, and hormone receptors. Signal transduction produces a cellular response in plants that initiates the physiological and developmental responses that ultimately allow the plant to survive under those abiotic stresses. Therefore, a better understanding of these plant cell signaling under stress conditions is essential to improve plant stress tolerance and agricultural productivity.