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Abiotic Stress Management for Resilient Agriculture pp 261–274Cite as

Thiourea: A Potential Bioregulator for Alleviating Abiotic Stresses

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Abstract

Abiotic stresses, viz. drought, high temperature and salinity, are the major constraints in enhancing agricultural productivity. The predicted climate change is likely to further aggravate these environmental stresses. There has been unprecedented increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as drought, heavy rainfall, flooding and high temperatures. Though sporadic in nature, these extreme events are expected to expand covering many regions. Hence for sustainable agriculture under these conditions, it is necessary to have crop plants endowed with mechanisms to cope with environmental stresses. Plants cope with these stresses and thrive under harsh environment through sophisticated and efficient mechanisms to re-establish and maintain redox homeostasis. These mechanisms involve efficient stress sensing and signaling processes. In addition, stresses lead to a vital reorientation of transport and partitioning of assimilate for plant growth and productivity under environmental stresses. Thiourea, a sulphydryl compound, has been observed to improve assimilate partitioning, photosynthetic efficiency and crop productivity. Since thiourea has redox regulatory properties imparted by –SH group, it can influence thiol-disulphide cycle through effects on plant thioredoxin system, which has a key role in plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. In several field studies, thiourea has been observed to mitigate drought, salinity and heat stress, and it enhances the crop yields when applied through foliar sprays. Thus, it acts as an effective bioregulater by regulation of cell metabolic activities and by restoring cellular redox homeostasis in crop plants under stressful environments. Hence, thiourea has considerable potential for achieving food security under the changing scenario of climate change.

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  1. Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, 334006, Rajasthan, India

    M. P. Sahu

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Indian Council for Agricultural Research, Baramati, Maharashtra, India

    Paramjit Singh Minhas

  2. National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management , Indian Council for Agricultural Research, Baramati, Maharashtra, India

    Jagadish Rane

  3. Indian Council for Agricultural Research, National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati, Maharashtra, India

    Ratna Kumar Pasala

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Sahu, M.P. (2017). Thiourea: A Potential Bioregulator for Alleviating Abiotic Stresses. In: Minhas, P., Rane, J., Pasala, R. (eds) Abiotic Stress Management for Resilient Agriculture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5744-1_11

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