Lecture No: 29

Environmental stresses - water stress - physiological

changes - adaptation to drought and amelioration.

Dr. T. Sivakumar,
Assistant Professor (Crop Physiology)

ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS

CLASSIFICATION

STRESS
STRESS

Biotic Stress

Abiotic Stress

(Pest & Disease)

Light
Low

Temp

High Low

Water

High Drought Flood

(Heat)

Chilling Freezing

Chemicals
Salts
Pesticides
Fungicides

DROUGHT*/ WATER STRESS

*the deficiency of water severe enough to check the plant growth.
a. Soil drought leads to atmospheric drought.
b. Atmospheric drought (occurs due to low atmospheric humidity, high wind
velocity and high temperature which cause a plant to lose most of its water).

Physiological changes occur due to drought

1. Functioning of stomata - In general, stomata lose their function and may die.
2. Carbohydrates metabolism in green leaves - starch disappears from the wilted
leaves and sugar accumulates simultaneously.

3. Photosynthetic activity - reduces photosynthetic activity in green cells.

4. Osmotic pressure- increase in the osmotic pressure of plant cell.
5. Permeability - to water and urea increases during drought.
6. Biochemical effects - For example, starch is converted to sugar, besides this,
there is a considerable increase in nitrate nitrogen and protein synthesis is
adversely affected.

ADAPTATION TO DROUGHT
Drought resistance - the capacity of plants to survive during the period of drought with
little or no injury.

ADAPTATION
Decreased leaf area is the early adaptive response

Stimulated leaf abscission

Enhanced root extension into deeper, moist soil
Stomata close during drought in response to abscisic acid
Limits the photosynthesis within the chloroplast
Osmatic adjustment of cell helps to maintain plant water balance
Alters the enery dissipation from leaves
Increases the resistance to liquid phase water flow
Increases the wax deposition on leaf surface
Induce Crassulation Acid Metabolism (CAM)

THREE CATEGORIES OF PLANTS GROWING IN THE AREAS FACING DROUGHT.

1. Ephemerals (drought escaping plants)

Mechanism - short lived plants.
Adaptations - complete their life cycle within a short period during rainy season.
2. Succulent plants
Mechanism - accumulate large quantities of water and use it when scarcity.
Adaptations - are thick cuticle, reduced leaf area, sunken stomata etc.
3. Non succulent plants (real drought enduring (tolerant) plants)
Mechanism No mechanism to ensure continuous supply of water.
Adaptations xeromorphy (stomata remain closed mostly in dry periods).

p = 0.5 MPa
s = -2.0 MPa
w = -1.5 MPa

p = 0 MPa
s = -1.2 MPa
w = -1.2 MPa

Water
deficit
Soil WP is
-1.2 MPa
Osmotic Adjustment

No Osmotic Adjustment

METHODS TO OVERCOME DROUGHT

Selection of drought tolerant species
Adjusting the time of sowing in such a way that the crop completes its
lifecycle before the onset of drought
Seed hardening with KCl, KH2PO4, CaCl2 or Thiourea
Thinning of poorly established plants

Mulching to minimize the evaporative loss

Foliar spray of antitranspirants such as Kaolin, PMA, Waxes and Silicone
oils
Foliar spray of KCl
Foliar spray of growth retardants such as CCC and MC