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Drought is a prolonged period of water deficit. For plants, it represents a severe abiotic stress to which they have to adapt, and it can lead to considerable economical losses in worldwide crop agriculture.
The promoter PSCBV-YZ2060 cloned from the sugarcane bacilliform virus is shown to be induced by drought in sugarcane and Arabidopsis plants and is a potential alternative promoter for genetic engineering of drought-resistant transgenic crops.
Plants have evolved strategies to protect root tips from the damage of stresses. Chang et al., show that root tips are covered with wax, which can efficiently protect root tips from osmotic stress and alter root hydrotropism in Arabidopsis.
Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting rice growth and development. Here, the authors identify a dsRNA-binding protein positively regulates rice drought resistance through promoting stability of OsNCED4 mRNAs, transcript of a key gene for the biosynthesis of abscisic acid, via protein phase separation.
Rapeseed production is often threatened by drought stress. Here, the authors report transcription factor BnaA9.NFYA7 negatively regulates rapeseed drought tolerance through ABA signal transduction pathway via feedback inhibition of the expression of BnaABF3/4s-related genes.
Drought is a serious threat to global food security. In upstream research, crop drought-tolerant traits are often studied under extreme drought conditions, which can seem irrelevant in the eyes of breeders.
Research on apoplastic diffusion barriers may help to better understand sensitivity to drought and salinity, two of the most pressing problems in agriculture.
ABACUS2 FRET biosensors allow an unparalleled live view of the dynamics of the plant hormone abscisic acid in plants. Well-watered roots accumulate abscisic acid in growing cells when shoots become dehydrated — a response that is essential to maintain root growth in low-humidity conditions.
