Wheat’s radiation stress response and adaptive mechanisms

About 20% of the calories and 25% of the protein consumed by humans each day come from wheat, a staple crop. Wheat produces 30% of the world's cereals and has a suitable amount of dietary fiber. It is not possible to meet future demand at the rate of productivity improvement seen in wheat over the past ten years. Growing and developing crops may be negatively impacted by increased UV radiation. Ultraviolet (UV-B) radiations can induce a wide range of plant responses, from cellular metabolism to gene expression that alters plant growth rate and development. Plants express numerous interrelated defense networks in response to these abiotic challenges through different physiological, molecular, and cellular changes to counteract the impacts of the stress. This chapter will cover the fundamental mechanism underlying adaptation to radiation stress as well as how wheat reacts to various radiation stresses and its coping mechanisms.