Sustainable Agriculture under Drought Stress

Sustainable Agriculture under Drought Stress: Integrated Soil, Water and Nutrient Management seamlessly blends cutting-edge research with practical applications, offering a unique perspective on tackling this urgent challenge. Through a multidisciplinary lens, this book provides a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of both the current landscape and future prospects. Readers will find this book equips them with the knowledge and strategies required to manage soil nutrients and water effectively, ensuring the health of both soil and plants, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, where solutions are urgently needed.

This book offers actionable insights into mitigating the impacts of climate change on agricultural systems, making it essential reading for anyone invested in sustainable land management and food security.

Cover image
Title page
Table of Contents
Copyright
List of contributors
Preface
Section 1: Water scarcity, climate change, and agriculture sustainability
Chapter 1. Climate change and drought: challenges for agriculture in arid environments
Abstract
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Impact of climatic changes on arid land agriculture
1.3 Impact of drought stress on arid land agriculture
1.4 Conclusions
Acknowledgment
References
Chapter 2. Agricultural water scarcity: an emerging threat to global water security
Abstract
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Reasons for water scarcity
2.3 Green water scarcity
2.4 Effect of water scarcity
2.5 Sanitation and other issues
2.6 Conclusion and future perspective
Data availability
Fundings
Credit authorship contribution statement
Declaration of competing interest
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 3. Wastewater reuse and water conservation for sustainable agriculture in dry regions
Abstract
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Wastewater reuse
3.3 Water conservation and management in semiarid and arid lands for sustainable agriculture
3.4 Conclusions
References
Chapter 4. Water and irrigation management in semiarid and arid lands for sustainable agriculture
Abstract
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Approaches for increasing water productivity
4.3 Conclusions
References
Chapter 5. Optimizing irrigation scheduling: strategies for sustainable water management in agriculture
Abstract
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Needs for irrigation scheduling and challenges of adoption
5.3 Water–soil–plant relationships
5.4 Main soil physical properties for irrigation scheduling
5.5 Water balance for irrigation scheduling
5.6 Irrigation scheduling based on field measurements of soil moisture
5.7 Crop water requirements for irrigation schedules
5.8 Irrigation scheduling based on evapotranspiration measures
5.9 Irrigation scheduling based on available software
5.10 Irrigation scheduling based on advanced technologies of remote sensing
5.11 Conclusion
Acknowledgment
References
Chapter 6. Soil fertility in arid lands: strategies for sustainable management and fertilization
Abstract
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Soil fertility in arid and semiarid regions
6.3 Assessment of soil fertility in arid and semiarid regions
6.4 Expert opinion
6.5 Soil analysis
6.6 Soil fertility map and machine learning in fertility assessment
6.7 Conclusions
References
Chapter 7. Sustainable crops for addressing water scarcity and low nutritional demand
Abstract
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Approaches and criteria for crop selection in water-scarce, low-nutrient environments
7.3 Sustainable crops for water-scarce, low-nutrient environments
7.4 Conclusions and future aspects
Competing interests
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 8. Redesigning soil–water management with sustainable resilience strategies in almond orchards in a Mediterranean environment
Abstract
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Experimental details
8.3 Results
8.4 Discussion
8.5 Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 9. Impacts of climate change and drought stress on plant metabolome
Abstract
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Impacts of extreme climate change on plant ecosystems
9.3 Plant responses to abiotic stress combinations
9.4 Impact of weather changes on crop production
9.5 Impact of drought on crop production: metabolic and growth effects
9.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 10. Impacts of drought on plant disease development and use of biological control agents to mitigate its adverse effects
Abstract
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Drought and plant disease development
10.3 Biological control agents and their modes of action
10.4 Selection and deployment of biological control agents for management of drought-induced plant diseases
10.5 Challenges and prospects for the use of biological control agents in drought management
10.6 Conclusions
References
Section 2: Linking water deficit stress and crop nutrition
Chapter 11. Sustaining fruit production under multiple nutrient stresses linked to soil water deficit stress
Abstract
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Soil microbes, more sensitive soil fertility indicator than plant-available nutrients
11.3 Nutrient–microbes relationship, a toolkit to neutralize multiple nutrient stress
11.4 Sustaining fruit-based production system through organic manures
11.5 Optimizing nutrient (organic and inorganic)–microbe synergy: our experiences
11.6 Customized micronutrient mixtures: development and field evaluation
11.7 Strategies and opportunities
11.8 Conclusions and future research aspects
References
Chapter 12. Effects of drought stress on soil nitrogen cycling
Abstract
12.1 Introduction
12.2 The effect of drought stress on nitrogen fixation in Rhizobium–legume symbiosis
12.3 The effect of drought stress on ammonification
12.4 The effect of drought stress on nitrification
12.5 The impact of drought stress on denitrification
12.6 Enhancing nitrogen fixation and mineralization during drought
12.7 Conclusions and future aspects
Competing interests
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 13. The role of mineral nutrients in plant growth under drought stress
Abstract
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Water deficit and crop nutrition
13.3 Importance of mineral nutrients in plants’ drought tolerance
13.4 Complementary practices for producing under drought
13.5 Considerations and future perspectives
References
Chapter 14. Biofertilizers: a sustainable solution for enhancing soil fertility and crop productivity
Abstract
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Relationship and interaction between biofertilizer and sustainability
14.3 Future perspectives and research opportunity
14.4 Conclusion
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Competing interest
Authors’ contributions
Compliance with ethical standards
References
Further reading
Section 3: Improving the soil fertility under drought conditions
Chapter 15. Resilience in the face of drought: strategies for optimizing plant resilience and enhancing nutrient transfer
Abstract
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Implication of drought on plant growth
15.3 Drought-mitigating responses of plants
15.4 Drought and plant nutrition
15.5 Methods of increasing nutrient transfer efficiency
15.6 Conclusions
References
Further reading
Chapter 16. Changes of soil physical and chemical characteristics under drought stress
Abstract
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Effect of drought stress on soil physical properties
16.3 Effect of drought stress on soil chemical properties
16.4 Conclusions and future prospects
Declaration of competing interest
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 17. The impact of drought stress on soil microbial community, enzyme activities, and microbial diversity
Abstract
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Effect of drought on soil properties
17.3 Effect of drought stress on soil microbial communities
17.4 Consequence of drought on soil enzyme and microbial activities
17.5 Microbial mechanisms governing drought stress tolerance
17.6 Conclusions and future perspectives
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 18. Monitoring changes in the rhizospheric microbiome under drought conditions: approaches and challenges
Abstract
18.1 Introduction
18.2 Drought effects on plants and the role of the microbiome
18.3 Drought effects on the soil and rhizosphere microbiome
18.4 Identification and monitoring of the central rhizosphere microbiome
18.5 Convergence of metagenomics and DNA stable isotope probing
18.6 Future research needs
18.7 Conclusions
Declaration of competing interest
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 19. Optimal management of plant nutrition in arid and semiarid regions for sustainable agriculture
Abstract
19.1 Introduction
19.2 The relationship between optimal management of plant nutrition and sustainable agriculture
19.3 Common environmental stresses in arid and semiarid regions
19.4 Defensive mechanisms of plants under drought stress conditions
19.5 Management practices for alleviation of drought stress in plants
19.6 Importance and functions of plant nutrition management in plants under drought stress
19.7 Conclusion and future prospects
References
Chapter 20. Enhancing cereal crop productivity: soil fertility management in arid and semiarid regions
Abstract
20.1 Introduction
20.2 Arid and semiarid regions
20.3 Challenges in cereal crop cultivation under arid and semiarid regions
20.4 Management of essential nutrients for cereal crops
20.5 Management of soil fertility
20.6 Conclusions
References
Chapter 21. Improving soil fertility and moisture with organic amendments in arid regions
Abstract
21.1 Introduction
21.2 Organic amendments: enhancing soil moisture and fertility in arid regions
21.3 Organic amendments and microbial synergies for arid soil management
21.4 Balancing act: cautions in applying organic amendments to soils
21.5 The synergistic impacts of mineral and organic fertilizers in arid regions
21.6 Case studies: organic soil amendments for arid regions
21.7 Conclusions and future research aspects
Acknowledgments
References
Section 4: Positive interactions between crops and soil microorganisms to enhance the drought tolerance
Chapter 22. Bacterial alleviation of drought stress in plants: recent advances and future challenges
Abstract
22.1 Introduction
22.2 Plant growth-promoting bacteria
22.3 Early experiments using plant growth-promoting bacteria to overcome drought stress
22.4 Recent experiments using plant growth-promoting bacteria to overcome drought stress
22.5 Multiomics approaches, drought-responsive genes in plants, and plant growth-promoting bacteria
22.6 Summary and conclusions
References
Chapter 23. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi application: selected case studies corroborating sustainable drought mitigation and enhanced crop productivity
Abstract
23.1 Introduction
23.2 Symbiotic relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plants
23.3 Case studies on improved crop tolerance to drought stress with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
23.4 Conclusions
Conflict of interest
References
Chapter 24. Enhancing plant drought tolerance through multidimensional arbuscular mycorrhizal networks
Abstract
24.1 Introduction
24.2 Mycorrhizal fungi: definition, types, functions, and structures
24.3 Key mechanisms of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-enhanced plant resilience to drought stress
24.4 Conclusions and future aspects
Declaration of competing interest
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 25. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in combating drought stress in crops: unraveling mechanisms and implications for sustainable agriculture
Abstract
25.1 Introduction
25.2 Drought stress in crops: causes and effects
25.3 The mechanisms of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in alleviating drought stress in crops
25.4 The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in improving plant water status
25.5 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-mediated changes in plant hormones
25.6 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-mediated changes in plant antioxidant systems
25.7 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-induced changes in soil properties and water retention
25.8 Application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in crop production for drought mitigation
25.9 Future directions and challenges in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi research for drought mitigation in crops
References
Chapter 26. Boosting soil water retention in drought-affected farming: role of beneficial microbes and earthworms
Abstract
26.1 Introduction
26.2 Enhancing soil water retention through plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
26.3 Improving soil water retention via fungal activity
26.4 Enhancing soil water retention through earthworms
26.5 Conclusions and future directions
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 27. Rhizosphere engineering: an innovative approach to mitigate drought stress in agriculture
Abstract
27.1 Introduction
27.2 Plant engineering
27.3 Microbiome engineering
27.4 Soil engineering
27.5 Future research directions
27.6 Summary
Acknowledgments
References
Section 5: Crop physiological and yield responses to water deficit stress
Chapter 28. Adapting to arid conditions: the interplay of plant roots, microbial communities, and exudates in the face of drought challenges
Abstract
28.1 Introduction
28.2 The plant root system: first line of defense against drought
28.3 The integral role of root responses in plant drought tolerance
28.4 Dynamic responses of root exudates to drought stress
28.5 Rhizosphere dynamics: root–microbe interplay amid drought
28.6 Rhizosphere microbiome under drought stress
28.7 Effect of drought on rhizosphere enzymes
28.8 Phytohormonal crosstalk in response to water-deficit stress
28.9 Conclusion and future aspects
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 29. Drought resilience in agriculture: mechanisms and adaptation strategies in a changing climate
Abstract
29.1 Introduction
29.2 Global concern of drought
29.3 Effect of climate change on different aspects of agriculture
29.4 Importance of plant drought stress tolerance
29.5 Definition of plant drought stress tolerance
29.6 Significance of understanding physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms
29.7 Physiological mechanisms of plant drought stress tolerance
29.8 Conclusions
References
Further reading
Chapter 30. Molecular mechanisms and nutrient regulation of crop root responses to drought stress: interactions with rhizosphere microorganisms
Abstract
30.1 Introduction
30.2 Molecular mechanisms
30.3 Nutritional regulation
30.4 Rhizosphere microbial interactions
30.5 Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Chapter 31. Optimizing water use in rice cultivation: strategies for sustainable irrigation
Abstract
31.1 Introduction
31.2 Factors affecting water consumption in rice cultivation
31.3 Irrigation regimes in rice cultivation
31.4 Innovative water management strategies for rice cultivation
31.5 Conclusion
Acknowledgment
References
Index

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Social Sciences & Humanities

Health

Sustainable Agriculture under Drought Stress

Integrated Soil, Water and Nutrient Management

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Hassan Etesami

Yinglong Chen