Cold-Induced Injuries and Signaling Responses in Plants

In the natural environment, the plants are continuously exposed to a multitude of stresses which pose a major threat to productivity and growth. Both biotic and abiotic stress cues are perceived by plants, which then strategize a suitable response to alleviate the damaging effects of stress. One of the major forms of abiotic stress that pose a threat to the physiological well-being of plants is cold stress which encompasses chilling injury, frost, and freezing. Cold injuries to the membrane through acute dehydration and freezing, loss of photosynthetic potential due to chilling stress of chlororespiratory enzymes, chlorosis, wilting, and necrosis, altogether, lead to major plant loss. The present chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the intricate network of genes regulating the physiological and molecular behavior of stressed plants along with their cytophysiological effects and the interplay of phytohormones in cold stress response. The role of polyamines in alleviating stress has also been discussed, together with the current and future prospects of the natural and engineered tolerance mechanisms to equip the plants perpetually exposed to cold stress due to their geographical habitats. Epigenetic mechanism governing cold stress and the role of microRNAs have also been briefly addressed with context to the alleviation of stress conditions, which are novel fields of investigation in abiotic stress studies and demands more attention in future.