Drought Stress Tolerance: An Insight to Resistance Mechanism and Adaptation in Plants

Water is essentially required by all the living systems including plants to maintain normal function of growth and metabolism. Drought stress in plants may affect several activities like cell elongation, morphology, nutrient availability due to the production of ROS and photo oxidation. Present study discusses various aspects of drought stress in plants and possible solutions to improve the tolerance. Application of plant growth promoting bacteria to ameliorate drought stress is undeniable in addition to several other ways to fight drought stress. Endophytic fungi are also reported to improve the stress management in plants as they colonize the plant roots and impart several benefits by providing essential metabolites related to resistance and development. Genetic engineering has always been a solution to stress management through the insertion or deletion of required genes. However, nanotechnology also offers ways to tolerate drought in plants as it improves the water use efficiency for plants and associated microbes. Future basic research at molecular level is still needed to explore the exact mechanisms lying beneath the stress tolerance strategies in plants. This may help in developing proper understanding between drought and plant metabolites and its application in future research.