Role of compatible osmolytes in plant stress tolerance under the influence of phytohormones and mineral elements

Abstract

A significant environmental problem known as abiotic stress limits plant growth, productivity, and survival while also endangering the world's food supply and security. Plants create soluble compounds, known as osmolytes, in order to adjust to such a shifting environment. Osmolytes helps in the maintenance of homeostasis by maintaining cell turgor through osmotic adjustment and redox metabolism to remove excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restores the cellular redox balance as well as guarding against osmotic stress and oxidative damage to the machinery of cells. Similar to this, phytohormone interaction is essential for plant survival in stressful situations because it activates signaling pathways. Osmolytes and hormonal cross-regulation set off a chain of events that fine-tune the physiological processes in plant design and support plant growth in less-than-ideal growth environments. Proline, glycine-betaine, polyamines, and sugars are the most prevalent osmolytes that are essential for osmoregulation. These substances maintain the osmotic differences between the cytosol and the cell's surrounds. By preventing the production of damaging ROS like hydroxyl ions, superoxide ions, hydrogen peroxide, and other free radicals, they also shield plant cells from oxidative stress. Phytohormones such as abscisic acid, brassinosteroids, cytokinins, ethylene, jasmonates, and salicylic acid further regulate the buildup of osmolytes. The mechanisms governing the phytohormone-mediated accumulation of osmolytes in plants under abiotic stressors must therefore be understood. The basic mechanisms of phytohormone-regulated osmolyte accumulation and their different activities in plants under stress are covered in this chapter. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.