Genetic aspects of water relations and drought resistance in crops

Khanna Chopra, R.; Sinha, S. K.

The subject is reviewed under these headings: water relations of plants; development of water stress in plants; effect of water stress on metabolism, growth, and yield; drought resistance in crops; assessment of drought resistance (statistical method; physiological criteria; biochemical criteria); osmotic adjustment (osmoregulation in prokaryotes; osmotic adjustment in crop plants; osmolytes and metabolism; cost of osmotic adjustment; osmotic adjustment in crop plants vs. osmoregulation in prokaryotes); molecular criteria; crop growth and yield; water stress and proteins (general; dehydrogenation of proteins); and accumulation of proline, betaine, and abscisic acid.