Tailored responses to simultaneous drought stress and pathogen infection in plants

Abstract

Under field conditions plants are often challenged by combination of biotic and abiotic stressors and they severely affect crop productivity. An increasing number of studies suggest that plants “tailor” their adaptation strategies to combat simultaneously occurring stresses. The stress combat strategies of plants are customized according to the stress combination and vary with the intensity and timing of the stresses involved. While some of the responses seen under combined stress are commonly instigated by individual stresses, some other are uniquely triggered under combined stress. Since some responses are unique only to the combined stress, the outcome of a stress interaction cannot be completely predicted using results from individual stress studies. In this chapter, the effects of combinatorial drought stress and pathogen infection on plants are discussed with an emphasis on the molecular and physiological mechanisms that underpin how plants tolerate simultaneously occurring stresses. We also highlight the complexity involved in the responses of plants to multiple stresses and underscore the importance of studying plant stressors in combination.