Enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in cereals through breeding and transgenic interventions.

摘要

This review aims to provide updates on novel sources of variation and genomic regions (quantitative trait loci; QTL) associated with abiotic stresses tolerance, and to assess the usefulness of novel genes and regulatory pathways to increase abiotic stresses (drought, heat, salinity, and aluminum toxicity) tolerance in cereal crops. Transgenic approaches for improving crops in high-stress environments will need to address new and vigorous biosafety assessments before obtaining regulatory approval. New crop varieties with enhanced performance in abiotic stress-prone environments are likely to be developed, and this in turn will increase competitiveness and have socioeconomic downstream effects. However, new stress-tolerant crops obtained as a result of transgenic interventions may pose serious questions regarding their safety and impact on the environment.