Water is vital for plant growth and development. Water-deficit stress, permanent or temporary, limits the growth and the distribution of natural vegetation and the performance of cultivated plants more than any other environmental factors do. Although research and practices aimed at improving water-stress resistance and water-use efficiency have been carried out for many years, the mechanism involved is still not clear. Further understanding and manipulating plant–water relations and water-stress tolerance at the scale of physiology and molecular biology can significantly improve plant productivity and environmental quality. Currently, post-genomics and metabolomics are very important to explore anti-drought gene resource in different life forms, but modern agricultural sustainable development must be combined with plant physiological measures in the field, on the basis of which post-genomics and metabolomics will have further a practical prospect. In this review, we discussed the anatomical changes and drought-tolerance strategies under drought condition in higher plants. To cite this article: H.-B. Shao et al., C. R. Biologies 331 (2008).

/pdf/plant-biology-and-pathology-biologie-et-pathologie-vegetale-1rcigb9zyj.pdf

Plant biology and pathology / Biologie et pathologie végétale Water-deficit stress-induced anatomical changes in higher plants ✩

Water-deficit stress-induced anatomical changes in higher plants.

Water is vital for plant growth, development and productivity. Permanent or temporary water deficit stress limits the growth and distribution of natural and artificial vegetation and the performance of cultivated plants (crops) more than any other environmental factor. Productive and sustainable agriculture necessitates growing plants (crops) in arid and semiarid regions with less input of precious resources such as fresh water. For a better understanding and rapid improvement of soil-water stress tolerance in these regions, especially in the water-wind eroded crossing region, it is very important to link physiological and biochemical studies to molecular work in genetically tractable model plants and important native plants, and further extending them to practical ecological restoration and efficient crop production. Although basic studies and practices aimed at improving soil water stress resistance and plant water use efficiency have been carried out for many years, the mechanisms involved at different scales are still not clear. Further understanding and manipulating soil-plant water relationships and soil-water stress tolerance at the scales of ecology, physiology and molecular biology can significantly improve plant productivity and environmental quality. Currently, post-genomics and metabolomics are very important in exploring anti-drought gene resources in various life forms, but modern agriculturally sustainable development must be combined with plant physiological measures in the field, on the basis of which post-genomics and metabolomics have further practical prospects. In this review, we discuss physiological and molecular insights and effects in basic plant metabolism, drought tolerance strategies under drought conditions in higher plants for sustainable agriculture and ecoenvironments in arid and semiarid areas of the world. We conclude that biological measures are the bases for the solutions to the issues relating to the different types of sustainable development.

Understanding water deficit stress-induced changes in the basic metabolism of higher plants – biotechnologically and sustainably improving agriculture and the ecoenvironment in arid regions of the globe

Stressed food – The impact of abiotic environmental stresses on crop quality

Drought (water deficits) and heat (high temperatures) stress are the prime abiotic constraints, under the current and climate change scenario in future. Any further increase in the occurrence, and extremity of these stresses, either individually or in combination, would severely reduce the crop productivity and food security, globally. Although, they obstruct productivity at all crop growth stages, the extent of damage at reproductive phase of crop growth, mainly the seed filling phase, is critical and causes considerable yield losses. Drought and heat stress substantially affect the seed yields by reducing seed size and number, eventually affecting the commercial trait ‘100 seed weight’ and seed quality. Seed filling is influenced by various metabolic processes occurring in the leaves, especially production and translocation of photoassimilates, importing precursors for biosynthesis of seed reserves, minerals and other functional constituents. These processes are highly sensitive to drought and heat, due to involvement of array of diverse enzymes and transporters, located in the leaves and seeds. We highlight here the findings in various food crops showing how their seed composition is drastically impacted at various cellular levels due to drought and heat stresses, applied separately, or in combination. The combined stresses are extremely detrimental for seed yield and its quality, and thus need more attention. Understanding the precise target sites regulating seed filling events in leaves and seeds, and how they are affected by abiotic stresses, is imperative to enhance the seed quality. It is vital to know the physiological, biochemical and genetic mechanisms, which govern the various seed filling events under stress environments, to devise strategies to improve stress tolerance. Converging modern advances in physiology, biochemistry and biotechnology, especially the “omics” technologies might provide a strong impetus to research on this aspect. Such application, along with effective agronomic management system would pave the way in developing crop genotypes/varieties with improved productivity under drought and/or heat stresses.

/pdf/drought-or-and-heat-stress-effects-on-seed-filling-in-food-45nidd1zbx.pdf

Drought or/and heat-stress effects on seed filling in food crops: Impacts on functional biochemistry, seed yields, and nutritional quality

Effect of drought on oil, fatty acids and protein contents of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seeds

Thirty five Spanish and 46 Virginia groundnut genotypes, grown in the 1992 rainy season and the 1992/1993 post-rainy season at the ICRISAT Asia Center, were evaluated for their blanching quality. Blanching, which primarily involves removal of the testa, is a major step in processing groundnuts for many edible end products. Preheating the seed samples at 200°C for 8 min, followed by blanching for 2 min at 15 psi air pressure, gave satisfactory results. There was a large variation in total blanchability within Spanish (10.8-90.6%) and Virginia (8.6-86.7%) genotypes. Some samples with high blanchability had high proportions of blanched split seeds. The effects of growing season on various blanching quality parameters were more pronounced in the Virginia genotypes than in the Spanish genotypes.

Evaluation of blanching quality in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

From the mid-1970s there has been a gradual increase in the use o f groundnut as fpod. Comparecl to J 97.0s its food use in the \\iorlcl increasedby34-% in 19S0s and is :e�pec l ed io increasefurther. G roundnut seed i's,a high energy food because of its high oil content. It is also a rich source of minerals 'and Vi(tullins. A range of various physical, sensory . chemical, nnd nutritional factors determine the quality of edible groundnut 'seed. Physical factors include integrity of seed testa, seed size and shupe. blanchi,ng dfficicllcy, and integrity of seed at the time of p roces:;ing. Sensory factors inClude seed color, texture, navor, and wholesomeness. Chemic al and nutritional factors include oil arid pro(cin contents, amino acid and fatty acid Cb')l[)osition, carbohydrates, minerals ��d ;'il:llllins. Pod color. size, shape, and textuFe, and its cleanliness and freedom from ' dalnage. and absence of blind nuts (pops) also influence the quality of 'in-shell' boiled o?roasled nuts. Freedom from aflatoxins ancJ chem'ical residues in the seed is of paramount iinporl;lncc in food use. Any contamination �";ith tax i J1slchemicals can override all other di�irnbl e factors mentioned earlier. Shelf­ Ii ie anti nutritional quality of the oi I and other gr:,?undnut products are infJu.cnced by fatly aCid compositioll. Oleic (Q) and linoleic (L) adds are lllltritionaily ilTIPO,rtMt and together ad'count for 75 to' 80% of the total fatty acids ii{'grollndl111t oil. OIL ratio and Iodine vallie dy) dciermine the shelf-life of oil and other groundiitll products . The higher'the value of

S. L. Dwivedi

Papers

Effect of drought on oil, fatty acids and protein contents of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seeds

Evaluation of blanching quality in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Breeding For Improved Seed Quality Traits in Groundnut(Arachis Hypogaea L.)