Plant responses to climate change: metabolic changes under combined abiotic stresses

Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of abiotic stress combinations that negatively impact plants and pose a serious threat to crop yield and food supply. Plants respond to episodes of stress combination by activating specific physiological and molecular responses, as well as by adjusting different metabolic pathways, to mitigate the negative effects of the stress combination on plant growth, development, and reproduction. Plants synthesize a wide range of metabolites that regulate many aspects of plant growth and development, as well as plant responses to stress. Although metabolic responses to individual abiotic stresses have been studied extensively in different plant species, recent efforts have been directed at understanding metabolic responses that occur when different abiotic factors are combined. In this review we examine recent studies of metabolomic changes under stress combination in different plants and suggest new avenues for the development of stress combination-resilient crops based on metabolites as breeding targets. Review of the specific and complex metabolic responses of plants to a combination of different abiotic stresses predicted to worsen with climate change.

Automated summary

Climate change is expected to increase the occurrence and severity of abiotic stress combinations, posing a significant threat to plant growth and crop yield. Plants can respond to these combinations by activating specific physiological and molecular responses, as well as adjusting metabolic pathways to mitigate the negative effects. This review examines recent studies on the metabolic changes in plants under stress combinations and suggests using metabolites as breeding targets to develop stress-tolerant crops.