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From genes to water: How amazing is the drought resistance of plants?
The drought resistance demonstrated by plants in the face of drought is not only a miracle of nature, but also a new hotspot in scientific research. As the challenges of global climate change intensify, how to cultivate highly drought-resistant crops has become a major focus of agricultural science. According to research, plant regulation of water depends on multiple physiological and molecular mechanisms, and understanding these mechanisms will have a significant impact on agricultural production.
Drought tolerance is the ability of plants to maintain biomass production under drought conditions, an adaptation that allows many plants to survive in harsh environments.
Physiological mechanisms of drought resistance
Water shortages faced by plants can be chronic or short-term. In these situations, plants need to adjust to minimize water loss and maximize water uptake. Plants are least resistant to drought during the reproductive stage of growth, especially during flowering and seed development. Therefore, long-term and short-term regulatory responses to water are crucial to plant reproduction and survival.
Short-term response- Leaves: root signal recognition, stomatal closure, reduced carbon assimilation
- Stem: growth inhibition, hydraulic changes, signal transmission
- Roots: Cellular drought signaling, osmotic pressure adjustment
Long-term reactions
- Aboveground parts: inhibiting bud growth, reducing evapotranspiration area, abortion, senescence, and metabolic adaptation in grains
- Underground part: maintain turgor pressure, continue root growth, increase root/stem ratio, expand absorption area
Plant drought tolerance involves a complex molecular regulatory network, in which many factors, including transcription factors, work together.
Drought resistance transcription factor network
Under drought conditions, plant gene expression changes and is activated and regulated by a series of transcription factors. These transcription factors bind to specific cis-acting elements and promote the expression of stress resistance genes. Some key transcription factors in plants include dehydration response element binding protein (DREB), ABA response element binding factor (AREB), and absence of terminal bud (NAM).
DREB transcription factor
DREB1A, DREB1B and DREB1C are plant-specific transcription factors that can bind to gene promoters of drought resistance, salt tolerance and low temperature tolerance. By overexpressing these genes, the stress resistance of plants can be improved.
AREB/ABF transcription factors
AREB/ABF are a class of ABA-responsive bZIP-type transcription factors that play an important role in plant growth stages and control the expression of genes related to drought response and tolerance.
Drought-adapted plants in nature can be divided into four categories according to their living environments: escape-type, avoidant-type, tolerant-type and stress-resistant-type.
Natural drought adaptation
In natural environments, plants display different adaptation mechanisms to drought resistance. For example, avoidant plants grow only in moist conditions, whereas tolerant plants can maintain growth in extremely dry conditions. The design of these plants is key to their survival.
Importance in Agriculture
As droughts increase in frequency and severity, crop yields are increasingly affected. Therefore, it is particularly important to study the molecular pathways of drought tolerance. Through biotechnology, agricultural scientists are developing genetically modified crops to increase their drought resistance, helping farmers protect their harvests in harsh environments.
Research institutions and international cooperation projects are working to improve the drought resistance of crops to cope with more severe climate challenges in the future.
Future Outlook
However, the process of commercializing drought-resistant plants is not simple. The time and money required from genetic modification to market launch are enormous. In addition, patents and technical limitations in the plant modification process make it difficult for most small research institutions to obtain support.
As research into plant resistance to drought continues to deepen in the face of changing climate conditions, we may not only see resilient crops in the future, but may also witness more miraculous evolutions in the plant kingdom. What kind of surprises will the drought resistance of plants bring us?
