Advances in understanding grain legume physiology: stomatal behaviour and response to abiotic stress

Publication date: 12/03/2018
Extent: 8 pages

Contributions by: E. Troyo–Diéguez and A. Nieto-Garibay, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, México; J. L. García-Hernández, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, México; P. Preciado-Rangel, Instituto Tecnológico de Torreón, México; F. A. Beltrán-Morales and F. H. Ruiz-Espinoza, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, México ; and B. Murillo-Amador, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, México

Chapter synopsis: Grain legumes can fulfill several roles: they can be an immediate seed crop for consumption or marketing, a means to increase soil fertility as a result of their nutrient-rich residues and a key component of livestock feed. They are therefore likely to have an increasing role in agriculture in both less developed and developed regions of the world. However, a potential constraint on their use is their response to drought in the more arid conditions predicted in some parts of the world due to climate change. This chapter will review the responses of various grain legumes to water-deficit conditions, and then will discuss how grain legumes can be bred for the stomatal characteristics most appropriate for water-scarce environments.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2017.0023.01