Emerging molecules for drought resilience in plants

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Editorial | Published:

E-ISSN: 2229-4473.
Website: www.vegetosindia.org
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DOI: 10.1007/s42535-026-01878-2
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Keywords: Antioxidant defense, Climate resilience, Hormonal crosstalk, Osmotic adjustment, Photosynthesis, Stress signaling


Abstract


Drought is one of the most severe environmental constraints limiting agricultural productivity and is expected to intensify under ongoing climate change. Because endogenous plant defenses are often insufficient under prolonged or recurrent water deficit, exogenous bioregulators have emerged as a sustainable strategy to enhance stress resilience. This editorial summarizes recent advances in the use of phytohormones and hormone-related regulators, neurotransmitter-like signaling compounds, gaseous signaling molecules, and other emerging bioregulators to improve drought tolerance. Despite their diverse chemical nature and primary modes of action, these compounds converge on common physiological processes, including the maintenance of photosynthetic performance, redox homeostasis, plant water relations, and hormonal crosstalk, highlighting an integrated drought-response network. Finally, we discuss future perspectives, including combined bioregulator applications, integration with beneficial microorganisms, stress memory, and precision agriculture, as promising strategies for developing climate-resilient and sustainable cropping systems.

Antioxidant defense, Climate resilience, Hormonal crosstalk, Osmotic adjustment, Photosynthesis, Stress signaling


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Departamento de Botânica E Zoologia, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Norte, Natal, Brazil