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Review
. 2025 Apr 4:16:1561100.
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1561100. eCollection 2025.

Growing vegetables in a warming world - a review of crop response to drought stress, and strategies to mitigate adverse effects in vegetable production

Jongwon Park  1 , Se-Hyoung Lee  1 , Joowon Lee  1 , Seung Hwan Wi  2 , Tae Cheol Seo  2 , Ji Hye Moon  2 , Seonghoe Jang  1
Affiliations
Review

Growing vegetables in a warming world - a review of crop response to drought stress, and strategies to mitigate adverse effects in vegetable production

Jongwon Park et al. Front Plant Sci. .

Abstract

Drought stress caused by climate change is increasingly affecting the productivity and quality of vegetable crops worldwide. This review comprehensively analyzes the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms that vegetable crops employ to cope with drought stress. In particular, it highlights the significance of key hormonal regulation pathways, such as abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ET), which play crucial roles in mediating stress responses. Additionally, the role of antioxidant defense systems in mitigating oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is discussed. Advances in agricultural technologies, such as the use of smart irrigation systems and biostimulants, have shown promising results in enhancing drought resistance and optimizing crop yields. Integrating these strategies with the development of drought resistant varieties through gene editing and traditional breeding techniques will ensure sustainable agricultural production in drought stressed environments. This review aims to support future research into sustainable agricultural development to enhance drought tolerance in vegetable production and secure global food supply.

Keywords: climate change; drought resistance; drought stress; plant responses; vegetable production.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Drought stress impact on plant growth and yield. Drought stress negatively affects various physiological and developmental processes in plants. Various adverse effects caused by drought stress collectively lead to a decline in agricultural productivity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Antioxidant defense system in plant cell organelles under drought stress. The figure shows the generation and detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in chloroplasts, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the cytosol. In chloroplasts and mitochondria, ROS such as superoxide ions (O₂⁻) are converted into hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by superoxide dismutase (SOD). Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) further reduces H₂O₂ to H₂O, using ascorbate in the process. In peroxisomes, SOD also converts O₂⁻ to H₂O₂, which is then detoxified by catalase (CAT) to produce H₂O and oxygen (O₂). The cytosolic AsA-GSH cycle provides a continuous supply of antioxidants by recycling ascorbate and glutathione (GSH), helping to maintain cellular redox balance. Through the coordinated action of these enzymes, plants enhance stress tolerance, reducing oxidative damage in drought conditions.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic overview of ABA-dependent and ABA-independent signaling pathways involved in drought stress response. Upon drought stress, ABA is synthesized, leading to the activation of the ABA-dependent pathway, which includes ABA receptors (PYR/PYL/RCAR), PP2Cs, and SnRK2 kinases. This pathway regulates the expression of stress-responsive genes through transcription factors (TFs) like ABF/AREB families. In parallel, the ABA-independent pathway involves TFs such as NAC, MYB2, MYC2, and WRKY, which regulate the expression of drought-responsive genes such as RD22, RD29A, and ERD1 through binding to their respective regulatory elements (NACR, MYBR, MYCR, W-box, and DRE/CRT). The DREB2A TF is particularly important in the ABA-independent pathway and is negatively regulated by E3 ubiquitin ligases, DREB2A-INTERACTING PROTEIN1 (DRIP1)- and DRIP2. Together, these pathways enhance the plant tolerance to drought stress by modulating the expression of key stress-responsive genes.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Figure illustrates the mechanisms and types of biostimulants used to enhance drought stress tolerance in vegetable crops. Biostimulants, including phytohormones, humic acid, γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), seaweed extracts, nanoparticles, and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPBs), improve plant tolerance under drought conditions. Biostimulants strengthen drought resistance by promoting ROS scavenging, activating hormonal pathways, stabilizing cellular structures, improving nutrient uptake, and regulating osmotic balance, thereby increasing plant growth, productivity, and stress resistance.
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