Proteomics: An Advancement in Agricultural Research for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture

Over the past 10 years, the potential of proteomics for crop plant analysis has grown significantly. A variety of bacteria found within and outside of plant tissues coexist with plants. Plants can adapt to unfavorable circumstances by changing their physiological state and activating a number of signaling pathways. In order to initiate their defense mechanism against challenges, plants respond to environmental stresses by altering the expression of proteins and posttranslationally altering proteins. The agricultural and environmental fields work together in order to enhance agricultural sustainability in important areas including soil health, plant nutrition, and food safety. Mass spectrometry, one of the most recent developments in proteomic technology, can now identify a wide variety of proteins and track how they are modulated during plant growth and development as well as responses to abiotic and biotic stimuli. Proteomic-based research is expected to advance and support crop development. Proteomics offers a frequently evolving set of novel techniques to study all facets of protein structure and function. With methods like mass spectrometry (MS), fluorescence 2D difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE), and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE), proteomics is increasingly being used in plant pathology to detect changes in protein levels in plant hosts that aim to produce superior crop varieties. As an applied strategy, a combinatorial method of transcriptomics, proteomics, and other related-omics branches of biotechnology is proven to be a successful means of accelerating crop improvement initiatives across the globe. This chapter includes the types and techniques of proteomics, role of proteins in plant stress tolerance, and applications of proteomics in sustainable agriculture.