Mitigating plant environmental stressors: Exploring sustainable and eco-friendly solutions

Authors

  • Okon Godwin Okon Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25081/jpsp.2025.v11.9126

Keywords:

Agriculture, Biostimulants, Biofertilizer, Fertilizer, Mycorrhiza, Stress

Abstract

Environmental stressors, both abiotic (e.g., drought, salinity, temperature extremes) and biotic (e.g., pests, diseases, weeds), pose significant challenges to plant health, affecting growth, yield, and overall agricultural productivity. Traditional mitigation methods, including chemical interventions and mechanical techniques, often come with environmental and sustainability concerns, necessitating a shift towards more sustainable practices. This review explores innovative approaches and technologies aimed at mitigating plant environmental stressors in an eco-friendly manner. Precision agriculture and smart farming, leveraging advanced technologies such as IoT, AI, and remote sensing, allow for optimized input application, enhancing crop resilience while minimizing environmental impact. The use of biostimulants and biofertilizers promotes plant growth and stress tolerance through natural mechanisms, reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers. Additionally, renewable energy and water conservation techniques, including solar-powered irrigation and rainwater harvesting, offer sustainable solutions to resource management in agriculture. The integration of these strategies, along with advancements in biotechnology such as genetic engineering and the development of stress-resistant crop varieties, provides a holistic approach to addressing the challenges posed by environmental stressors. As agriculture faces the dual pressures of increasing food demand and climate change, these innovative methods are crucial for ensuring sustainable crop production and long-term ecosystem health. The review highlights the need for continued research and ethical considerations in the adoption of these technologies to balance productivity with environmental stewardship.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Agrios, G. N. (2005). Plant Pathology. (5th ed.). New York: Academic Press.

Altieri, M. A. (1999). The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 74(1-3), 19-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(99)00028-6

Atkinson, N. J., & Urwin, P. E. (2012). The interaction of plant biotic and abiotic stresses: from genes to the field. Journal of Experimental Botany, 63(10), 3523-3543. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ers100

Bita, C. E., & Gerats, T. (2013). Plant tolerance to high temperature in a changing environment: scientific fundamentals and production of heat stress-tolerant crops. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4, 273. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2013.00273

Bongiovanni, R., & Lowenberg-DeBoer, J. (2004). Precision agriculture and sustainability. Precision Agriculture, 5, 359-387. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PRAG.0000040806.39604.aa

Boyer, J. S. (1982). Plant productivity and environment. Science, 218(4571), 443-448. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.218.4571.443

Burney, J. A., & Naylor, R. L. (2012). Smallholder irrigation as a poverty alleviation tool in sub-Saharan Africa. World Development, 40(1), 110-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.05.007

Burney, J., Woltering, L., Burke, M., Naylor, R., & Pasternak, D. (2010). Solar-powered drip irrigation enhances food security in the Sudano-Sahel. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1848-1853. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0909678107

Carvalho, F. P. (2017). Pesticides, environment, and food safety. Food and Energy Security, 6(2), 48-60. https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.108

Chaves, M. M., Flexas, J., & Pinheiro, C. (2009). Photosynthesis under drought and salt stress: regulation mechanisms from whole plant to cell. Annals of Botany, 103(4), 551-560. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcn125

Chaves, M. M., Maroco, J. P., & Pereira, J. S. (2003). Understanding plant responses to drought—from genes to the whole plant. Functional Plant Biology, 30(3), 239-264. https://doi.org/10.1071/FP02076

Chen, K., Wang, Y., Zhang, R., Zhang, H., & Gao, C. (2019). CRISPR/Cas genome editing and precision plant breeding in agriculture. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 70, 667-697. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-050718-100049

du Jardin, P. (2015). Plant biostimulants: Definition, concept, main categories and regulation. Scientia Horticulturae, 196, 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2015.09.021

Evett, S. R., Tolk, J. A., & Howell, T. A. (2006). Soil profile water content determination: Sensor accuracy, axial response, calibration, temperature dependence, and precision. Vadose Zone Journal, 5(3), 894-907. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2005.0149

Falkenmark, M., & Rockström, J. (2006). The new blue and green water paradigm: Breaking new ground for water resources planning and management. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 132(3), 129-132. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9496(2006)132:3(129)

FAO. (2011). The state of the world's land and water resources for food and agriculture: Managing systems at risk. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Flowers, T. J., & Yeo, A. R. (1995). Breeding for salinity resistance in crop plants: where next? Australian Journal of Plant Physiology, 22(6), 875-884. https://doi.org/10.1071/PP9950875

Foley, J. A., Ramankutty, N., Brauman, K. A., Cassidy, E. S., Gerber, J. S., Johnston, M., Mueller, N. D., O’Connell, C., Ray, D. K., West, P. C., Balzer, C., Bennett, E. M., Carpenter, S. R., Hill, J., Monfreda, C., Polasky, S., Rockström, J., Sheehan, J., Siebert, S., Tilman, D., & Zaks, D. P. M. (2011). Solutions for a cultivated planet. Nature, 478, 337-342. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10452

Gebbers, R., & Adamchuk, V. I. (2010). Precision agriculture and food security. Science, 327(5967), 828-831. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1183899

Glazebrook, J. (2005). Contrasting mechanisms of defense against biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 43, 205-227. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.phyto.43.040204.135923

Gliessman, S. R. (2014). Agroecology: The ecology of sustainable food systems. (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17881

Gould, F. (1998). Sustainability of transgenic insecticidal cultivars: Integrating pest genetics and ecology. Annual Review of Entomology, 43, 701-726. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.43.1.701

Graham, P. H., & Vance, C. P. (2000). Nitrogen fixation in perspective: an overview of research and extension needs. Field Crops Research, 65(2-3), 93-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4290(99)00080-5

Howe, G. A., & Jander, G. (2008). Plant immunity to insect herbivores. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 59, 41-66. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092825

Khan, W., Rayirath, U. P., Subramanian, S., Jithesh, M. N., Rayorath, P., Hodges, D. M., Critchley, A. T., Craigie, J. S., Norrie, J., & Prithiviraj, B. (2009). Seaweed Extracts as Biostimulants of Plant Growth and Development. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 28, 386-399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-009-9103-x

Lal, R. (1991). Soil structure and sustainability. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 1(4), 67-92. https://doi.org/10.1300/J064v01n04_06

Lancaster University. (2022). Ploughing and tilling soil on slopes is jeopardizing future farm yields.

Mittler, R. (2006). Abiotic stress, the field environment and stress combination. Trends in Plant Science, 11(1), 15-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2005.11.002

Munns, R. (2002). Comparative physiology of salt and water stress. Plant, Cell & Environment, 25(2), 239-250. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0016-8025.2001.00808.x

Munns, R., & Tester, M. (2008). Mechanisms of salinity tolerance. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 59, 651-681. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092911

Nardi, S., Pizzeghello, D., Muscolo, A., & Vianello, A. (2002). Physiological effects of humic substances on higher plants. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 34(11), 1527-1536. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(02)00174-8

Oerke, E.-C. (2006). Crop losses to pests. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 144(1), 31-43. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859605005708

Parmesan, C., & Yohe, G. (2003). A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature, 421, 37-42. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01286

Peleg, Z., & Blumwald, E. (2011). Hormone balance and abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 14(3), 290-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2011.02.001

Pimentel, D. (2005). Environmental and economic costs of the application of pesticides primarily in the United States. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 7, 229-252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-005-7314-2

Postel, S. (1999). Pillar of Sand – Can The Irrigation Miracle Last? New York, US: W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.

Qaim, M. (2020). Role of new plant breeding technologies for food security and sustainable agricultural development. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 42(2), 129-150. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13044

Raina, R., Chand, R., & Sharma, Y. P. (2011). Conservation strategies of some important medicinal plants. International Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 1, 342-347.

Raza, A., Ashraf, F., Zou, X., Zhang, X., & Tosif, H. (2020). Plant Adaptation and Tolerance to Environmental Stresses: Mechanisms and Perspectives. In M. Hasanuzzaman (Ed.), Plant Ecophysiology and Adaptation under Climate Change: Mechanisms and Perspectives I (pp. 117-145) Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2156-0_5

Reganold, J. P., & Wachter, J. M. (2016). Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature Plants, 2, 15221. https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.221

Rengasamy, P. (2006). World salinization with emphasis on Australia. Journal of Experimental Botany, 57(5), 1017-1023. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erj108

Smith, S. E., & Read, D. J. (2008). Mycorrhizal symbiosis. (3rd ed.). New York, US: Elsevier Academic Publishers.

Tardieu, F., Simonneau, T., & Muller, B. (2018). The physiological basis of drought tolerance in crop plants: A scenario-dependent probabilistic approach. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 69, 733-759. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-042817-040218

Thakur, P., Kumar, S., Malik, J. A., Berger, J. D., & Nayyar, H. (2010). Cold stress effects on reproductive development in grain crops: an overview. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 67(3), 429-443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2009.09.004

Tilman, D., Cassman, K. G., Matson, P. A., Naylor, R., & Polasky, S. (2002). Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices. Nature, 418, 671-677. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01014

van Lenteren, J. C. (2000). A greenhouse without pesticides: fact or fantasy? Crop Protection, 19(6), 375-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-2194(00)00038-7

Wolfert, S., Ge, L., Verdouw, C., & Bogaardt, M.-J. (2017). Big Data in Smart Farming – A review. Agricultural Systems, 153, 69-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2017.01.023

Zhang, C., & Kovacs, J. M. (2012). The application of small unmanned aerial systems for precision agriculture: a review. Precision Agriculture, 13, 693-712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-012-9274-5

Zhu, J.-K. (2001). Plant salt tolerance. Trends in Plant Science, 6(2), 66-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1360-1385(00)01838-0

Published

09-06-2025

How to Cite

Okon, O. G. “Mitigating Plant Environmental Stressors: Exploring Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Solutions”. Journal of Plant Stress Physiology, vol. 11, June 2025, pp. 19-25, doi:10.25081/jpsp.2025.v11.9126.

Issue

Section

Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)