Advancements in Water‐Saving Strategies and Crop Adaptation to Drought: A Comprehensive Review

2025/07/01 by Juan D. Franco‐Navarro, Yaiza Gara Padilla, Sara Álvarez +14 · 80 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Abiotic stress #Adaptation (eye) #Agriculture #Agronomy #Biology #Biotechnology #Context (archaeology) #Cropping #Drought tolerance #Ecology #Environmental resource management #Environmental science #Food security #Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance #Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism #Plant responses to water stress #Sustainability #Water scarcity

paper · open access · doi:10.1111/ppl.70332

published in Physiologia Plantarum 177(4), e70332 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2025/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Drought stress, which is one of the most critical environmental constraints affecting global crop productivity, is exacerbated by climate change and increased atmospheric water demand. This review comprehensively examines plant responses to drought, integrating physiological, morphological, biochemical, and genetic adaptations that contribute to water-use efficiency and stress tolerance. Key mechanisms such as osmotic adjustment, stomatal regulation, antioxidant defense, and hormonal signaling are analyzed, highlighting their role in mitigating drought-induced cellular damage. Advances in plant breeding and biotechnological approaches, including transgenic strategies, genome editing, and marker-assisted selection, are discussed in the context of improving drought resilience. The importance of root system architecture, leaf anatomical modifications, and stress-responsive transcription factors is underscored as essential components of drought adaptation. Additionally, agronomic innovations such as precision irrigation, soil management techniques, and plant-microbe interactions are reviewed due to their potential to enhance sustainable water use in agriculture. The role of epigenetic modifications and long-distance signaling mechanisms in drought acclimation is explored, shedding light on emerging strategies for engineering multi-stress tolerant crops. Furthermore, we assess the impact of drought on crop nutritional quality, the trade-offs between drought tolerance and pest resistance, and the socio-economic implications of water scarcity on global food security. This review provides a roadmap for integrating cutting-edge scientific knowledge with practical agricultural applications, aiming to develop resilient cropping systems capable of sustaining productivity under increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions.

Citations

• MICROBIAL STRESS-RESPONSE PHYSIOLOGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION
• Deficit irrigation for reducing agricultural water use
• Quantification of biochar effects on soil hydrological properties using meta-analysis of literature data
• Plant adaptations to the combination of drought and high temperatures
• Osmoregulation and its actions during the drought stress in plants
• Aquaporins in Plants
• Overexpression of the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene OsTPS1 enhances abiotic stress tolerance in rice

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• Deciphering drought tolerance in cotton genotypes through integrated morpho-physiological and biochemical markers at flowering stage. [europepmc]
• Optimal Stubble Management Strategies of Caragana tibetica for Enhancing Stress Resistance and Vegetation Restoration. [europepmc]
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• Genome-wide association studies and modeling of stomatal gas conductance reveal genetic control of water-use efficiency in sorghum. [europepmc]
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• Harnessing Antioxidants for Abiotic Stress Management: Mechanistic Insights and Prospects for Sustainable Agriculture. [europepmc]
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• Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Foxtail Millet ( Setaria italica L.): From Molecular Mechanisms to Climate-Resilient Breeding. [europepmc]
• Effects of water and fertilizer coupling on growth and development of Chinese dwarf cherry ( Cerasus humilis ) and evaluation of water and fertilizer use efficiency. [europepmc]
• Harnessing foliar-applied melatonin to improve yield and stress tolerance in tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L. ) under deficit irrigation. [europepmc]
• Climate change and citrus nutrition: mechanisms, nutrient imbalances, and inclusive management. [europepmc]
• Overexpression of SlANT1 Enhances Drought Tolerance in Tomato Through Anthocyanin-Mediated Antioxidant Protection and Metabolic Reprogramming [europepmc]

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