Author
 |
Vantoai, Tara |
|
Submitted to: Encyclopedia of Soil Science
Publication Type: Review Article Publication Acceptance Date: 5/10/2002 Publication Date: 7/2/2002 Citation: VANTOAI, T.T. FLOODING TOLERANCE OF CROPS. LAL, R., EDITOR. MARCEL DEKKER, NEW YORK, NY. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SOIL SCIENCE. 2002. P. 572-574. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Periodic flooding during the growing season adversely affects crop growth and productivity. The severity of the flooding stress depends on many factors, including flooding duration, crop variety, growth state, soil type, fertility levels, pathogens, and flooding conditions. While the lack of oxygen has been implicated as the main problem associated with flooding stress, tolerance of field flooding appears to be much more complex than tolerance of artificially induced hypoxia and anoxia. Crop species differ in their tolerance to flooding, rice is known to be more toleranct to flooding than soybeans. Variability in flooding tolerance also exists among cultivars and germplasm strains within a species. Crops - from soybean to rice - have evolved different mechanisms to tolerate flooding. These mechanisms, which occur at the molecular and biochemical levels, result in alterations of the plant appearance as well as its performance and function to better cope with flooding. Research using conventional, molecular plant breeding and genetic transformation to improve plant tolerance to flooding has just begun to pay dividend. |
