Lecture 3 - Generating plants tolerant to abiotic stress

Question 1

What types of stresses are plants subject to?

Answer 1

Abiotic stresses

• intense light
• herbicides
• Ozone
• temperature stress
• Water deficient stress
  
  • heat
  • chilling
  • freezing (low water potential, crystals fform and damage leaf tissue)
  • drought
  • salinity
• Flooding (rice tolerence others not)
• Heavy metals (can be toxic, especially al, increase incidence of ROS (although at low conc can be used as a signalling molecule))

Biotic stresses

• Pathogens
• Pest damage - wounding