ABSTRACT
Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA. Email: ansumanroy@gmail.com
Sustainable food production is a major challenge to our agricultural system. The impact of abiotic stress on crop production is a growing concern as the world struggles to meet food demands of ever growing global population. Various reports indicates that we must have a 50% increase in agricultural productivity by 2025 (Khush 2001). One of the goals set, is to reduce the number of staving people (approximately one billion) by 50% by the year 2015 (FAO 2004, 2009). In other words, we have to focus not only to enhance agricultural productivity but also on minimizing the yield losses. The major losses in yield are due to various biotic and abiotic stresses (Ciais et al. 2005). Abiotic stresses such as drought, heat and salinity are the primary reasons for the current loss of crop productivity. Report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) suggests that global warming associated with changes in climate will increase drought conditions across the globe in the next 30 years (NSF 2010). Drought and soil moisture availability limitations can drop the grain yields of major crops.
