ABSTRACT
Abiotic stress is a potential threat to agriculture that results in a significant reduction in crop growth and productivity. Plants adopt complex mechanisms at morphological, physiological and molecular levels to tolerate abiotic stresses. Plant hormones such as abscisic acid, ethylene, salicylic acid, jasmonic acid and brassinosteroids are important in conferring plant tolerance to abiotic stresses through the stimulation of various signal transduction pathways and synthesis of stress-responsive genes. In this chapter, we critically assess the role of phytohormones and hormone-regulated stress-responsive mechanisms against various abiotic stresses.
