Models and Tools for Studying Drought Stress Responses in Peas

Abstract

The pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important pulse crop but the growing area is limited because of its relatively low yield stability. In many parts of the world the most important abiotic factor limiting the survival and yield of plants is the restricted water supply, and the crop productivity can only be increased by improving drought tolerance. Development of pea cultivars well adapted to dry conditions has been one of the major tasks in breeding programs. Conventional breeding of new cultivars for dry conditions required extensive selection and testing for yield performance over diverse environments using various biometrical approaches. Several morphological and biochemical traits have been proven to be related to drought resistance, and methods based on physiological attributes can also be used in development of better varieties. Osmoregulation plays a role in the maintenance of turgor pressure under water stress conditions, and information on the behaviour of genotypes under osmotic stress can help selection for drought resistance. Biotechnological approaches including in vitro test, genetic transformation, and the use of molecular markers and mutants could be useful tools in breeding of pea. In this minireview we summarized the present status of different approaches related to drought stress improvement in the pea.

Changes in Metabolic Profiles of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) as a Result of Repeated Short-Term Soil Drought and Subsequent Re-Watering

“…Although plants survived both short-term drought/re-watering cycles (Figure 1), stress decreased the accumulation of FW (Figure 2A) and DW, which increased by ca 155 mg, while in control plants this was 260 mg. The results of growth inhibition and biomass accumulation, obtained in the present study, confirm those previously published on the effects of soil drought on pea plants [40][41][42][43]. Water stress inhibited vegetative growth, biomass accumulation, water content and photosynthetic pigments of the pea cultivars evaluated [42].…”

“…In this laboratory experiment, sensitivity to water stress was cultivar dependent. Field trials of peas also showed cultivar differences in response to soil water deficit [43]. Furthermore, the authors of this study showed that there is a decrease in chlorophyll content and leaf greenness in peas, in response to drought stress.…”

“…Therefore, a comparative study of polar metabolic profiles in pea shoots, in plants subjected to repeated cycles of short-term soil drought and re-watering, was undertaken. Since the general physiological responses of pea to drought are already known [40][41][42][43], the metabolomic studies undertaken involved plants exposed to soil drought until visible wilting and then after full turgor was restored. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method, which is often used in the study of primary metabolism [20,27,39,44], has been applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of polar metabolites.…”

Abiotic Stress Responses in Legumes: Strategies Used to Cope with Environmental Challenges

“…According to this, diverse chlorophyll fluorescence parameters have been shown to reflect the ability of pea plants to maintain photosynthesis under chilling (4 • C to 10 • C) and genetic variability for some of these parameters has been evidenced Lichtenthaler, 1999, 2006). Reduced photosynthesis, lead to reduction of growth, by mean of fresh and dry weight and leaf area in pea (Magyar-Tabori et al, 2011).…”

YOLOv8-Peas: a lightweight drought tolerance method for peas based on seed germination vigor

“…Their rich dietary fiber and antioxidant contents and important biomolecules have significant potential in promoting health and preventing chronic diseases ( Devi et al., 2023 ). With global climate change, water scarcity has become the major abiotic factor limiting the survival and output of peas, so screening and breeding new drought-tolerant pea varieties is the key to enhance their yield and quality ( Magyar-Tábori et al., 2011 ). Seed germination rate and germination index can be calculated by examining the germination status of pea seeds, which are key indicators for assessing the vigor of seed germination, reflecting the ability of seeds to germinate in suboptimal environments such as low moisture availability ( Ranal and Santana, 2006 ).…”