Physiological and biochemical approaches for mitigating the effect of abiotic stresses in wheat

Agricultural crop productivity is directly and indirectly affected by global warming, for which new biotic and abiotic pressures are imposed on crops. Salinity, drought, heat, moisture, and preharvest sprouting challenges are the most common abiotic stresses facing crops today. Climate change has made them even more challenging. Agricultural benefits and economic importance make wheat the most commonly cultivated crop on the planet. These abiotic stressors have a significant impact on its production and productivity. Wheat researchers face a difficult task in developing wheat cultivars that are resistant to various abiotic stressors. Traditional breeding programs can be utilized to meet such goals, but the levels of production will not be sufficient and more advanced research is needed to understand how plants adapt to stress and grow more tolerant. We now have a more comprehensive understanding of the abiotic stress tolerance of plants due to progress in three major fields: physiology, genetics, and breeding. Identification of the morphological, physiologic, and biochemical features for precise phenotyping, as well as the associated genes for stress tolerance is crucial as part of an effective mitigation plan. Polygenes control the tolerance to certain abiotic stressors, and understanding their genetic makeup can lead to the discovery of the gene network or networks that control stress tolerance. Further, stress mitigation techniques, such as the use of plant hormones and various agronomic interventions, as well as genetic and biotechnological management schemes are useful for improving plant performance under abiotic stress and are necessary for the persistence of wheat productivity.