Osmotic Adjustment and Drought Resistance of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) - A Short Review

Abstract

Drought is the most limiting environmental factor affecting wheat growth and productivity and thus, breeding for drought tolerance is a main objective for cereal breeders. Progress in drought tolerance breeding of wheat depends upon genetic diversity existing among genotypes about of their responses to different stressors. One of the physiological parameter is the osmotic adjustment can be enhanced through selection and breeding. Osmotic adjustment is the only cellular process that is activated under water stress conditions and that makes it possible to maintain cellular turgor. This study presents some physiological patterns in wheat plants under drought condition, with focus on osmotic adjustment. The used methods included searching of databases, such as Web of Science or Google Scholar, in order to identify relevant results. Crop plants synthesize several osmolytes to provide osmotic balance at the cellular level, and those osmolytes, under drought stress, provide the plants’ osmotic adjustment. Osmotic adjustment is critical for regulating cell turgor for the maintenance of plant metabolic activity, growth, and productivity. Generally, drought tolerant wheat genotypes show a clear response towards osmotic adjustment. This indicates the key role that osmotic adjustment plays in drought tolerance and yield sustainability under drought stress.