Identification and characterisation of sorghum bicolor heme oxygenase-1 (sbho1) gene and its role in conferring biotic and abiotic stress tolerance to plants
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Date
2019
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Biotic and abiotic stresses such as herbivore attack, pathogen infection, salinity, drought, cold,
heat and UV radiation, are unfavourable conditions that affect plant growth and productivity
globally (Fedoroff et al., 2010). Agricultural productivity and food security are severely limited
by salinity, drought and temperature. These environmental factors occur as a result of climate
change, which is predicted to cause an increase in the occurrence of severe weather and may
stimulate increased damage to plants (Zhu, 2016). Pathogen and herbivore attacks caused a 31 -
42 % loss in crop yield and about 6 - 20 % post-harvest loss (Tesfaw & Feyissa, 2014). Estimates
have shown that over 50 % loss of crop yield worldwide is as a result of abiotic stresses (Lobell
et al., 2011) and their severity would lead to an increase in loss of arable land yearly. Population
growth and migration to these arable lands further increases the issue of land desiccation and by
2050, food production will have to be increased by at least 70 % to meet the growing demand for
quality, nutritious and sustainable food. Various biotic and abiotic stresses lead to the increased
production of reactive oxidative species (ROS) in plants that cause damage to proteins, lipids and
nucleic acids, resulting in cell death (Choudhury et al., 2017).
Description
>Magister Scientiae - MSc
Keywords
Biotic and abiotic stress, Sorghum, Food production, Sustainable food, Heme oxygenase