Impacts of Abiotic Stress on Flowering Response in Plants

Abstract

Growing concern about the influence of abiotic stress and its impact on agriculture has gained particular interest in recent times. Global warming has its effects on various environmental factors, including temperature, rainfall, drought and flooding. This threat is exacerbated by changes in land use, pesticide use, agricultural monocultures, and the spread of diseases and non-native species. Flowering is a critical determinant for plant reproductive success and seed set. Climate change could significantly affect plant performance and flowering-related events. Shifting phenological pattern is one of the most easily detected and well-documented biological responses to climate change. Integrated environmental factors such as temperature, photoperiod and elevated CO2 regulate flowering through various molecular mechanisms involving key floral responsive genes. Modifications in nectar production and composition may impact pollinator fitness in the long run as well as immediate effects on energetics and activity of pollinators. Reproductive failure under abiotic stress is mediated due to impaired ROS signalling network which affect microspores development, pollen tube growth and pollen release. Climate change affects the phenology of both plants and insects and lead to extensive uncoupling of interactions among insect pollinators and plants. Habitat loss, change in body size and foraging activity, significantly affect the plant-pollinator network resulting in environment driven flowering response changes. The prominence of timely flowering, maturity and inquiries into flower metabolic responses and predicting these phenological events in present and future climate is a serious challenge for the assessment of the climate change and variability.