Abiotic Factors Affect Plant Growth

Crop plants suffer from various abiotic stresses such as submergence by flooding, drought, high temperature, and soil degradation with soil compaction, salinity, acidification, and metal pollution. These abiotic stresses frequently and seriously inhibit crop productions, and the impact of inhibition intensified by climate change is concerning. With flooding and drought, water has become one of the most critical abiotic factors. In this chapter, water balance related to water excess and shortage in the field is remarked, and the impact of submergence and drought on agricultural plants is explained. Additionally, the effects of other abiotic stresses such as saline and soil compaction on agricultural plants are summarized. In the next part, combined effects of high temperature as the most notable phenomena through climate change and water stress (flooding and drought) as the most grievous effect in abiotic factors on crop production are discussed. These results suggest that multiple abiotic factors have the synergistic negative impact on crop production under climate change.