Field crop management in light of climate change

2023-05-08

Assistant Professor Dr. Nawfal Adnan Sabry

The Upper Euphrates Basin Developing Centre – University of Anbar

As a result of the emission of greenhouse gases and the widening of the ozone hole, this led to the occurrence of global warming, which led to a lack of rainfall and high temperatures, which affected the rate of water evaporation, which directly affected the productivity of many crops in the world. It has also affected the high percentage of salt in the soil, which led to a reduction in crop productivity as a result of stress, and today molecular genetics play an important role in diagnosing the genes responsible for drought and salinity tolerance traits by selecting new varieties with better tolerance to various tensile factors such as increased salinity, drought, harmful metals and high temperature, as well as plant tolerance to diseases, which leads to optimal management of field crop cultivars.

Plant stress is one of the non-living tensile factors (a biotic), which is represented by heat stress through high temperatures and water tension through the lack of water available for absorption by the plant Available water is among the most prominent determinants of crop production in many countries of the world. This does not mean that the plant's stress to living factors (biotic) is low, which is represented by diseases resulting from the influence of fungi, bacteria, insects and overgrazing, however, the greatest decrease in productivity in general is caused by non-living stress on plants, and the testing of plants of different crops for domestication was based mainly on the tolerance of these plants to a biotic tension and their rate of productivity under conventional cultivation conditions. At all stages of its growth, plants are exposed to varying degrees of a biotic tension, and each stage has its own effect.

Water stress:

It means the lack of water available for absorption by the plant at any stage of its growth The water molecule is of great importance in all functional processes within the plant, especially if we know that water constitutes an average of 80-95% of the total mass of non-wood plants, if less water available to the plant, it may be exposed to drought. Thus, water tension has appeared to have the opposite effect in plant life.

Osmotic protection creation:

Genes are stimulated by the responsibility for osmotic protection when tensile conditions such as salinity and drought occur. Studies applied to some mutations from plants have shown that osmotic protection compounds increase the ability of plants to withstand surface tension by protecting plasma membranes and proteins against the action of  ROS (Reactive oxygen species) more than their role in calibrating cell osmosis. ABA (Abcisic acid) was found to regulate the action of the proline gene (P5C5) responsible for proline synthesis under osmotic tension. The mechanism of action of DREB/CBF is a key mechanism in regulating cloning of ABA-dependent gene expression in response to the action of drought and cold tension. Increased gene expression of ABA sensitization genes reduced the severity of transpiration and increased drought tolerance, and several dehydration-sensitive genes and ABA encoding several cloning factors have been diagnosed in some plants.

Molecular response to water tension in high-end plants:

The water deficit does not occur due to the lack of water for the plant only, but is also caused by some environmental factors such as high temperatures, water salinity, soil salinity, and others. The water deficit does not occur due to the lack of water for the plant only, but is also caused by some environmental factors such as high temperatures, water salinity, soil salinity, and others. The occurrence of water deficit followed by changes at the molecular level makes the plant better positioned to adapt to the new tensile state. These changes vary according to the degree of water deficiency, the stage of plant growth and the genetic nature of the plant that makes it withstand or not withstand tension, according to the consequent phenotypic, anatomical and functional differences within the genetic structure, and thus the selection of tolerant plants on this basis. 

#university_of_anbar
#Upper_Euphrates_Basin_Developing_Center