Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
10.8
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
In addition to genetic means of developing vegetable crops with improved
heat tolerance, several new approaches have been used to induce heat tol-
erance in a range of plant species. These include preconditioning of plants
to heat stress and exogenous applications of osmoprotectants or plant
growth-regulating compounds on seeds or whole plants. Such approaches
are promising and further research is worth undertaking. Also, while some
notable progress has been reported as to the development of crop plants
with improved heat tolerance via traditional breeding, the prospect for en-
gineering plants with heat tolerance is also good considering accumulating
molecular information on the mechanisms of tolerance and contributing
factors. Further applications of genomics, proteomics and transcript omics
approaches to a better understanding of the molecular basis of plant re-
sponse to heat stress as well as plant heat tolerance are imperative. Little
information is available for the use of markers in vegetable breeding es-
pecially for the development of complex characteristics like heat resis-
tance. However, depending on the most recent discoveries and research
progresses, it is clear that the future of routine application of markers in
heat resistant vegetable breeding is prospective.
KEYWORDS
•
Breeding Strategies
•
Climate Change
•
Heat-Stress
•
Osmolytes Accumulation
•
Phenological Reactions
•
Tolerance Mechanisms
REFERENCES
Anon, S., Fernandez, J. A., Franco, J. A., Torrecillas, A., Alarcon, J. J., & Sanchez-Blanco, M. J.
(2004). Effects of water stress and night temperature preconditioning on water relations and
morphological and anatomical changes of
Lotus creticus
plants.
Sci. Hortic
. 101, 333-342.
