Franco-Navarro Juan D, Padilla Yaiza Gara, Álvarez Sara, Calatayud Ángeles, Colmenero-Flores José Manuel, Gómez-Bellot María José, Hernández José Antonio, Martínez-Alcalá Isabel, Penella Consuelo, Pérez-Pérez Juan Gabriel, Sánchez-Blanco María Jesús, Tasa María, Acosta-Motos José Ramón
Plant Ion and Water Regulation Group, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS, CSIC), Seville, Spain.
Hygiene Quality and R&D Department, CLECE S.A., University Hospital of Puerto Real (HUPR), Cádiz, Spain.
Physiol Plant. 2025 Jul-Aug;177(4):e70332. doi: 10.1111/ppl.70332.
Drought stress, which is one of the most critical environmental constraints affecting global crop productivity, is exacerbated by climate change and increased atmospheric water demand. This review comprehensively examines plant responses to drought, integrating physiological, morphological, biochemical, and genetic adaptations that contribute to water-use efficiency and stress tolerance. Key mechanisms such as osmotic adjustment, stomatal regulation, antioxidant defense, and hormonal signaling are analyzed, highlighting their role in mitigating drought-induced cellular damage. Advances in plant breeding and biotechnological approaches, including transgenic strategies, genome editing, and marker-assisted selection, are discussed in the context of improving drought resilience. The importance of root system architecture, leaf anatomical modifications, and stress-responsive transcription factors is underscored as essential components of drought adaptation. Additionally, agronomic innovations such as precision irrigation, soil management techniques, and plant-microbe interactions are reviewed due to their potential to enhance sustainable water use in agriculture. The role of epigenetic modifications and long-distance signaling mechanisms in drought acclimation is explored, shedding light on emerging strategies for engineering multi-stress tolerant crops. Furthermore, we assess the impact of drought on crop nutritional quality, the trade-offs between drought tolerance and pest resistance, and the socio-economic implications of water scarcity on global food security. This review provides a roadmap for integrating cutting-edge scientific knowledge with practical agricultural applications, aiming to develop resilient cropping systems capable of sustaining productivity under increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions.
干旱胁迫是影响全球作物生产力的最关键环境限制因素之一，气候变化和大气需水量增加使其进一步加剧。本综述全面研究了植物对干旱的反应，整合了有助于水分利用效率和胁迫耐受性的生理、形态、生化和遗传适应机制。分析了渗透调节、气孔调节、抗氧化防御和激素信号传导等关键机制，突出了它们在减轻干旱诱导的细胞损伤中的作用。在提高干旱恢复力的背景下，讨论了植物育种和生物技术方法的进展，包括转基因策略、基因组编辑和标记辅助选择。强调了根系结构、叶片解剖结构改变和胁迫响应转录因子作为干旱适应的重要组成部分的重要性。此外，还综述了精准灌溉、土壤管理技术和植物-微生物相互作用等农艺创新，因为它们具有提高农业可持续用水的潜力。探讨了表观遗传修饰和长距离信号传导机制在干旱适应中的作用，为培育多胁迫耐受性作物的新兴策略提供了思路。此外，我们评估了干旱对作物营养品质的影响、耐旱性与抗虫性之间的权衡，以及水资源短缺对全球粮食安全的社会经济影响。本综述为将前沿科学知识与实际农业应用相结合提供了路线图，旨在开发能够在日益不可预测的气候条件下维持生产力的适应性作物种植系统。
