Plant Growth Regulators in Abiotic Stress Resilience of Plants: A Review

Abstract

In recent decades, the global demand for vegetables has surged alongside population growth. However, biotic and abiotic stresses increasingly hinder seed germination, growth and yields. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) acting as chemical messengers are crucial in regulating plant development and responses to environmental stresses. Key phytohormones like abscisic acid, ethylene, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid play pivotal role in stress responses of vegetable crops. These hormones enable plants to sense and adapt to adverse conditions such as drought, salinity and extremities of temperatures. Through enzyme activation and hormone synthesis, plants enhance their resilience to stressors.  The growth regulators initiate/activate a cascade event either on their own or by evolving a cross - talk within them that final recruits various transcription factors those in turn activate or suppress a variety of genes. The vital role of PGRs in mitigating stress impacts on vegetable crops, highlighting their potential in agricultural sustainability in future.