Growth and Physiological Responses of Vegetable Crops to Water Deficit Stress
Henil D. Vashi *
ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, 396450, Gujarat, India.
Prutha P. Patel
ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, 396450, Gujarat, India.
Kirti Bardhan
ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, 396450, Gujarat, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Future climate change scenarios have become a major threat and limitation for global food production. The rise in greenhouse gases and temperature throughout the globe has caused perturbance in the natural seasonal cycles. This causes a threat to nutritional and calorific food security for the ever-increasing population in the South Asian Countries. Reduction in the amounts of rainfall in the tropics and subtropics has increased the occurrence of drought leading to more frequent water stress affecting the production of crops, including vegetables, which are predominantly grown in the tropical and sub-tropical regions. India is the second-largest producer of vegetables in the world and heavy consumer of vegetables. The mini-review focused on drought stress effects on the vegetable production and photosynthesis, transpiration, water uptake and other metabolic and developmental processes. Grafting, breeding, cultural and biotechnological strategies are used to combat drought stress and will be used in the future to ease the harmful effects of drought stress.
Keywords: Drought, climate change, food security, vegetables, nutrition