Breeding for Stress Tolerance in Crops

Climate change is putting immense pressure on global agriculture, pushing scientists to develop climate-resilient crops to protect food security. Plants face increasing threats from drought, salinity, heat, and floods – conditions that severely impact growth and yield. This chapter highlights how combining traditional breeding with advanced tools like genomic-assisted selection, CRISPR/Cas, and transgenics is helping develop stress-tolerant varieties. Key breeding goals include better water use, stress-related gene expression, and accumulation of protective compounds. Transcription factors such as DREB, WRKY, and MYB play a central role in plant stress responses. Emerging research also links CO₂ and glucose to improved heat tolerance. Tools like omics, AI-based analysis, and high-throughput phenotyping are making trait selection more precise. Cotton breeding, for instance, has made strides in drought and salinity tolerance via root and enzyme-level changes. However, wider adoption – especially in developing nations – requires better infrastructure and policy support. A collaborative, multidisciplinary approach is essential to sustain crops in a changing climate.