Understanding the role of phytohormones in governing heat, cold, and freezing stress response

Plants are exposed to rapid fluctuations in the environmental temperature and respond differently to temperature stress through fine-tuning genetic, biochemical, and physiological changes. Plants utilize several signaling pathways including stress and phytohormone signalings to cope with high and low temperature stresses. Emerging studies have documented the role of growth and development related phytohormones, such as auxin, cytokinin, brassinosteroids, gibberellic acid, and strigolactones, in temperature stress responses. Apart from functioning in biotic stress, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid participate in alleviating temperature stress. Abscisic acid and ethylene have also been reported to be major players in regulating abiotic stresses. Changes in global temperature in recent years have drastically affected the crop productivity. Therefore manipulation of certain factors in the stress and phytohormone signaling pathways can lead to the development of crops tolerant to severe temperature stresses, thereby minimizing yield loss during harsh climatic conditions. In this chapter, we shed light on how different hormone signaling pathways facilitate plants to adapt under stressful temperatures, thereby providing them with better stress resilience and survival potential.