Plants need water to grow, but the right amount and timing vary with the type of plant. Climate change and the needs of an exponentially growing population will reduce the amount of water available to produce food.
Plants suffer from drought stress when they do not have sufficient water for their growth and reproduction. Drought stress can cause food crops to become less productive, not produce a crop at all, or even die. Drought stress is a major problem in places where crop production mainly relies upon rainfall to supply crop needs. These areas are called rainfed systems. Rainfed systems account for most of the world’s cultivated land and food production.
The weather cannot be controlled, but to some extent, plants can. Since they cannot move, plants need to adjust and adapt to changes in their environment, such as drought, high temperature, or salt. Scientists are trying to use this ability to help plants respond to stress faster or more effectively to improve production and survival.
Although plants do not have brains or a nervous system, they can ‘remember’ the stress after experiencing it multiple times through a process called “stress memory.” The repetition of the stress ‘trains’ the plant to recognize the stress when it happens again.
Read more at sustainable-secure-food-blog.com