Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ChapterĀ 15
Biotechnology approaches to overcome biotic
and abiotic stress constraints in legumes
Mustafeez Mujtaba Babar 1 , Najam-us-Sahar Sadaf Zaidi 1 , Mohamed Mahgoub Azooz 2
and Alvina Gul Kazi 1
1 Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
2 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
15.1 Introduction
transferred to the target legume for expression of the
stress-neutralizing factors.
The current review deals with understanding the
importance of leguminous plants and the various threats
they face. The genetic, subcellular and molecular
mechanisms involved in legume defences and their
phenotypic manifestations are presented. Exploitation
and manipulation of these resistance mechanisms for
providing effective strategies for the control and preven-
tion of the adverse effects associated with these
conditions are then considered.
Legumes are one of the most important, yet diverse,
groups of plants, finding applications in a broad range of
fields. They possess high nutritional value, are significant
sources of biofuel energy, and have medicinal impor-
tance and environmental significance. They are involved
in symbiotic relationships with a number of types of soil
bacteria, and thereby contribute to environmental
nitrogen fixation. Hence, legumes are important com-
ponents in agriculture, as they help in converting
atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form. However,
many stress factors, biotic and abiotic, have been related
to a decrease in the overall yield of the plants.
Maintenance and improvement of legume health has,
therefore, become an important target for both agricul-
turalists and biotechnologists.
The biological stress factors mainly comprise patho-
genic bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes and other
insects, whereas the abiotic constraints include drought,
salinity, temperature changes and light. The response of
leguminous plants to these stress conditions has been
the focus of research to effectively investigate the
inherent defence mechanisms of the plants (Ahuja et al.,
2010). A number of cellular and molecular mechanisms
are involved in the stress-tolerance process. Manipu-
lation of these signal cascades can help in improving the
overallĀ  effectiveness of the plant to resist changes in
their homeostasis. Current biotechnological interven-
tion strategies are based upon the identification and
isolation of stress resistance genes in stressed plants
(Bhatnagar-Mathur et al., 2012). These genes are then
15.2 Legumes and their importance
Legumes, a collective term used for members of the
family Leguminosae (Fabaceae), form the single most
diverse botanical group, providing benefits to humanity
across a variety of different sectors. With their excep-
tional contributions to the human and animal food
chain, economic sector, ecology and medicines, legumes
are among the most important domesticated plants.
Legumes are grown on an estimated 250 million hect-
ares of agricultural land around the world, providing
financial benefit to many thousands of farmers globally
(Abate et al., 2012; Vance, 1997).
Their wide geographical distribution in various climatic
conditions makes them useful for domestication.
Nutritional data reveal that legumes are a rich source of
carbohydrates, fibre, essential amino acids, vitamins and
minerals (Venn et al., 2012; Bouchenak & Lamri-Senhadji,
2013). They form the protein food source of choice for
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