AGRONOMICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO HEAT AND DROUGHT STRESS IN WHEAT: A REVIEW

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the crucial crops in the world in terms of economy, production, food, and nutrition (Yilmaz et al.2022). Wheat is grown in over 220 million ha of land all over the world, where it is subjected to abiotic stress on average (Paudel et al., 2021). This accounts for approximately 30 percent of the world's total cereal area (Cossani and Reynolds, 2012). FAO estimated that annual cereal production must increase by nearly a billion tons in order to feed the projected population of 9.1 billion people in 2050. The 21st century requires an increase in crop production and productivity to meet the rising demand for food (Iqbal et al., 2017). Wheat is cultivated in the tropics and subtropics, where it is subjected to a wide range of abiotic pressures. Crop yields are drastically diminished due to adverse environmental stress (Rahaie et al.,2013). The most common abiotic stresses are heat, drought, salinity, cold, chemicals, and excess water. But heat and drought are the main abiotic stresses that affect wheat production around in the world (Liu et al., 2016; Kizilgeci et al., 2017). Considering global climate model, the average worldwide temperature is projected to have risen by 6 degrees Celsius by the end of the twenty-one century (De Costa, 2011).