What does it mean to be drought resistant?
Drought tolerance refers to a plant’s ability to survive during drought. Some plants are even “drought resistant”, meaning that they can survive long periods with no water at all (such as a cactus). Drought tolerant plants still need some water and are simply considered to be “low water” plants. At a particular developmental stage, plant drought resistance is associated with a series of events (such as stomatal movement, photosynthesis, cell osmotic regulation, synthesis of protective macromolecules and antioxidants, etc.Drought avoidance helps plants maintain high water status during periods of stress by enhancing water absorption or/and reducing evapotranspiration, while drought tolerance means plants maintain turgor and continue metabolism in cells even at low water potential, mainly by protoplasmic tolerance, synthesis of osmolytes .Plant drought resistance involves four major mechanisms: drought avoidance (DA) (or “shoot dehydration avoidance” in some literature), drought tolerance (DT), drought escape (DE), and drought recovery [15, 21–26].Drought tolerance is a complex quantitative polygenic trait controlled by a large number of genes and thus, it is difficult to understand the molecular and physiological mechanisms [1,12]. Until now, genetically-modified Glycine max (soybean) and Zea mays (maize) for drought tolerance have been developed and approved.Drought resistance or tolerance is a broader term applied to plant species with adaptive features that enable them to escape, avoid, or tolerate drought stress (Levitt, 1980). Drought escape is the capability of the plant to complete its life cycle before onset of drought stress.
What is an example of drought resistance?
Sorghum (Jowar): A Versatile Crop for Drylands Another vital drought-resistant crop in India is sorghum, known locally as jowar. Sorghum thrives in dry, hot conditions, making it ideal for cultivation in areas facing water scarcity. Sorghum: Similar to millet, sorghum is another hardy crop that can tolerate dry conditions and still produce a good yield. Green grams,Cowpeas,Pigeon peas,Beans: Known for their drought tolerance,they can grow in very arid conditions and also improve soil fertility by fixing nitrogen.Sorghum: The Crop that Laughs at Heat Naturally drought-tolerant and heat-resilient, sorghum is gaining renewed attention as climate extremes push traditional crops to their limits.Both Bajra (Pearl millet) and Jowar (Sorghum) are highly drought-tolerant crops suitable for dry regions.Staple food crops like sorghum, cassava, sweet potato, pearl millet, cowpea and groundnut are naturally more drought-tolerant than maize. The intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops together so farmers can have another crop to fall back on when maize harvests fail because of poor rainfall.
What is the difference between drought resistance and drought escaping?
Drought resistance: The ability of crop plants to grow, develop and reproduce normally under moisture stress. There are 4 mechanisms of drought resistance. Drought Escapes : It is due to ability of a genotype to mature early, before occurrence of drought. The roots strive to uptake more water through their expansion and this ultimately adapts plants to minimize stomatal loss of water when there is a water deficit [54]. Typical drought stress symptoms in plants include leaf rolling, stunning plants, yellowing leaves, leaf scorching, permanent wilting [55].Among other relevant traits, two key traits proposed to influence tree responses to drought are cavitation resistance and the stringency of stomatal control (McDowell et al. Schnabel et al.Drought stress refers to the deficiency of water that significantly impacts plant growth and development, leading to physiological, morphological, and biochemical changes that result in reduced photosynthetic accumulation and crop yield.Drought resistance can be defined as the capacity of a crop to successfully produce a satisfactory yield in water shortage conditions (Luo, 2010).
What is the difference between drought resistant and drought-tolerant?
Additional terms for drought-tolerant include water-smart, water-conservation, dry garden, dry landscape, and desert landscaping. Drought-resistant. These plants can survive for long periods without water. In other words, they take drought-tolerant one step further. Water Conservation. One of the easiest steps we can take to help mitigate the impacts of drought is conserving water. If we use water wisely at all times, more water will be available to us and to plants and wildlife when a drought happens.Drought can lead to decreased water quantity and quality, increased incidence of illness or disease, increased mortality rates, and adverse mental health outcomes as livelihoods are challenged. During drought conditions, fuels for wildfire, such as grasses and trees, can dry out and become more flammable.Maintaining healthy soils, good pasture and land condition, native vegetation, and improving water security will build the resilience of the natural assets underpinning production and enable faster recovery from the impacts of drought and climate extremes.The Short Answer A drought is caused by drier than normal conditions that can eventually lead to water supply problems. Really hot temperatures can make a drought worse by evaporating moisture from the soil.