Plant science: Pioneering sustainable solutions for global challenges
Abstract
Plant science, a field that includes several disciplines, is vital for confronting global issues such as food safety, climate change, and the preservation of biodiversity. Plants serve as the cornerstone of terrestrial existence by governing ecosystems, producing food, and conserving carbon. The expanding worldwide population and global warming have increased the demand for sustainable farming techniques and adaptable crop varieties. Developments in plant physiological science, inheritance, and breeding, such as photosynthesis optimization and genomic selection, are changing agriculture. For instance, photosynthetic efficiency improvements have led to crop yield increases by up to 20% in wheat and rice varieties. Sustainable actions, such as agricultural ecology and precision agriculture, strike an equilibrium between profitability and the welfare of the environment. Additionally, the biological relationships between soil ecosystems, plants, and animals emphasize the significance of biodiversity to the longevity of ecosystems. These biological cycles have been disturbed by human activities, such as agriculture and deforestation, underscoring the necessity of conservation measures. Future developments in digital agriculture, climate-adaptable crops, and genetic modification will be essential for producing food in an environmentally friendly way. For example, CRISPR-based modifications have improved drought tolerance in maize, reducing water usage by 30%. This review emphasizes plant science’s essential function in ensuring a sustainable future for both ecological and agricultural systems, which is fueled by technology breakthroughs and sustainable practices.
Keywords
Full Text:
Subscribers OnlyReferences
Chaudhry S, Sidhu GPS. Climate change regulated abiotic stress mechanisms in plants: a comprehensive review. Plant Cell Reports. 2021; 41(1): 1–31. doi: 10.1007/s00299-021-02759-5
van der Plas F, Schröder-Georgi T, Weigelt A, et al. Plant traits alone are poor predictors of ecosystem properties and long-term ecosystem functioning. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2020; 4(12): 1602–1611. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-01316-9
Godfray HCJ. The challenge of feeding 9–10 billion people equitably and sustainably. The Journal of Agricultural Science. 2013; 152(S1): 2–8. doi: 10.1017/s0021859613000774
Freschet GT, Roumet C, Comas LH, et al. Root traits as drivers of plant and ecosystem functioning: current understanding, pitfalls and future research needs. New Phytologist. 2021; 232(3): 1123–1158. doi: 10.1111/nph.17072
Stratton AE, Kuhl L, Blesh J. Ecological and Nutritional Functions of Agroecosystems as Indicators of Smallholder Resilience. Front Sustain Food Syst. Available online: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.543914/full (accessed on 1 October 2024).
Sarfraz S, Ali F, Hameed A, et al. Sustainable Agriculture Through Technological Innovations. In: Prakash CS, Fiaz S, Nadeem MA, et al. (editor). Sustainable Agriculture in the Era of the OMICs Revolution. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2023.
Sustainable management of agricultural resources (agricultural crops and animals)—ScienceDirect. Available online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128243428000109 (accessed on 10 October 2024).
Tamburini G, Bommarco R, Wanger TC, et al. Agricultural diversification promotes multiple ecosystem services without compromising yield. Science Advances. 2020; 6(45). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba1715
Shevela D, Bjorn LO, Govindjee. Photosynthesis: Solar Energy for Life. World Scientific Publishing; 2018. pp. 205.
Temesgen B. Role and economic importance of crop genetic diversity in food security. Int J Agric Sci Food Technol. 2021 Apr 17;164–9.
Temesgen B. Role and economic importance of crop genetic diversity in food security. International Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Technology. Published online April 17, 2021: 164-169. doi: 10.17352/2455-815x.000104
Singh Bakala H, Singh G, Srivastava P. Smart Breeding for Climate Resilient Agriculture. In: Abdurakhmonov YI (editor). Plant Breeding—Current and Future Views. IntechOpen; 2021.
Coomes OT, Barham BL, MacDonald GK, et al. Leveraging total factor productivity growth for sustainable and resilient farming. Nature Sustainability. 2019; 2(1): 22–28. doi: 10.1038/s41893-018-0200-3
Fairbanks DJ. Mendel and Darwin: untangling a persistent enigma. Heredity. 2019; 124(2): 263–273. doi: 10.1038/s41437-019-0289-9
Salonia F, Ciacciulli A, Poles L, et al. New Plant Breeding Techniques in Citrus for the Improvement of Important Agronomic Traits. A Review. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2020; 11. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01234
Gramazio P, Takayama M, Ezura H. Challenges and Prospects of New Plant Breeding Techniques for GABA Improvement in Crops: Tomato as an Example. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2020; 11. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.577980
Parasuraman M, Weerasinghe P. Application of mutation breeding techniques in the development of green crop varieties in Sri Lanka: the way forward. In: Sivasankar S, Ellis N, Jankuloski L, Ingelbrecht I (editor). Mutation breeding, genetic diversity and crop adaptation to climate change, 1st ed. UK: CABI; 2021.
Thudi M, Palakurthi R, Schnable JC, et al. Genomic resources in plant breeding for sustainable agriculture. Journal of Plant Physiology. 2021; 257: 153351. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2020.153351
Marone D, Russo MA, Mores A, et al. Importance of Landraces in Cereal Breeding for Stress Tolerance. Plants. 2021; 10(7): 1267. doi: 10.3390/plants10071267
Haines-Young R, Potschin M. The links between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. In: Raffaelli DG, Frid CLJ (editor). Ecosystem Ecology, 1st ed. Cambridge University Press; 2010. pp. 110–39.
Agrawal A, Gopal K. Biomonitoring of Water and Waste Water. Springer India; 2013.
Wang W, Gorsuch JW, Hughes JS. Plants for Environmental Studies. CRC Press; 2020. pp. 547.
Gavrilescu M. Water, Soil, and Plants Interactions in a Threatened Environment. Water. 2021; 13(19): 2746. doi: 10.3390/w13192746
Harris DR. An evolutionary continuum of people—plant interaction. In: The Emergence of Agriculture. Routledge; 2007.
De Kort H, Prunier JG, Ducatez S, et al. Life history, climate and biogeography interactively affect worldwide genetic diversity of plant and animal populations. Nature Communications. 2021; 12(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-20958-2
Wang N, Kong C, Wang P, et al. Root exudate signals in plant–plant interactions. Plant, Cell & Environment. 2021; 44(4): 1044–1058. doi: 10.1111/pce.13892
Becker C, Berthomé R, Delavault P, et al. The ecologically relevant genetics of plant–plant interactions. Trends in Plant Science. 2023; 28(1): 31–42. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2022.08.014
Waldrop MP, Holloway JM, Smith DB, et al. The interacting roles of climate, soils, and plant production on soil microbial communities at a continental scale. Ecology. 2017; 98(7): 1957–1967. doi: 10.1002/ecy.1883
Silva LCR, Lambers H. Soil-plant-atmosphere interactions: structure, function, and predictive scaling for climate change mitigation. Plant and Soil. 2020; 461(1–2): 5–27. doi: 10.1007/s11104-020-04427-1
Chase JM, Blowes SA, Knight TM, et al. Ecosystem decay exacerbates biodiversity loss with habitat loss. Nature. 2020; 584(7820): 238–243. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2531-2
Johns T, Powell B, Maundu P, et al. Agricultural biodiversity as a link between traditional food systems and contemporary development, social integrity and ecological health. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2013; 93(14): 3433–3442. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.6351
Tscharntke T, Grass I, Wanger TC, et al. Beyond organic farming—harnessing biodiversity-friendly landscapes. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 2021; 36(10): 919–930. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.06.010
Gawande V, Saikanth DRK, Sumithra BS, et al. Potential of Precision Farming Technologies for Eco-Friendly Agriculture. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science. 2023; 35(19): 101–112. doi: 10.9734/ijpss/2023/v35i193528
Boselli R, Fiorini A, Santelli S, et al. Cover crops during transition to no-till maintain yield and enhance soil fertility in intensive agro-ecosystems. Field Crops Research. 2020; 255: 107871. doi: 10.1016/j.fcr.2020.107871
Piao S, Liu Q, Chen A, et al. Plant phenology and global climate change: Current progresses and challenges. Global Change Biology. 2019; 25(6): 1922–1940. doi: 10.1111/gcb.14619
Teskey R, Wertin T, Bauweraerts I, et al. Responses of tree species to heat waves and extreme heat events. Plant, Cell & Environment. 2015; 38(9): 1699–1712. doi: 10.1111/pce.12417
Malhi GS, Kaur M, Kaushik P. Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Its Mitigation Strategies: A Review. Sustainability. 2021; 13(3): 1318. doi: 10.3390/su13031318
Singh RP, Singh RK, Singh MK. Impact of Climate and Carbon Dioxide Change on Weeds and their Management–A Review. Journal of Weed Science. 2011; 43 (1 & 2): 1-11.
Siddiqui AO, Yazlık A, Jabran K. Weed Management and Climate Change. In: Jatoi WN, Mubeen M, Ahmad A, et al. (editor). Building Climate Resilience in Agriculture. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2022. pp. 211–223.
Janousek WM, Douglas MR, Cannings S, et al. Recent and future declines of a historically widespread pollinator linked to climate, land cover, and pesticides. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2023; 120(5). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2211223120
Kumari R, AD, Bhatnagar S. Biodiversity Loss: Threats and Conservation Strategies. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research. 2021; 68(1). doi: 10.47583/ijpsrr.2021.v68i01.037
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18686/ppas2266
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.