• Biological stress- Applied force of environmental conditions

• The reaction to stress is Biological strain

• It is two types:
• 1. Elastic: Organisms return to original after stress removed
• 2. Plastic: No return to original condition
• Stress by abiotic leads negative effects on growth, Development,
Physiological and molecular changes
• Plants become resistance at mild or increased dose of stress
• Hardening: Development of stress resistance-
• Stress Resistance Two types
Stress Tolerance: Capacity to endure the stressnso that plant survive
and function normally
• Ex: Mosses
• Special physiological mechanisms will develop
Stress Avoidance : Create internal environment, so no stress inside the
plant cells
• Ex: Cactus plants conserve water in stems
• Stress Tolerance: Capacity to endure the stress so that plant survive
and function normally
• Ex: Mosses
• Special physiological mechanisms will develop
• Stress Avoidance: Escape – Create internal environment, so no stress
inside the plant cells
• Ex: Cactus plants conserve water in stems
Plant Responses to Water Stress or
Drought
• Plant reduces water , cell shrinks, cell wall relax

• Results in lower hydrostatic pressure

• Cell expansion will reduce, so leaf expansion reduces

• Smaller leaf area transpires less water

First line of defense-

 First line of defense

 Size of leaves, number of leaves, no of growth rate at branches

 Leaves will fall early due to enhanced synthesis of ethylene

Second line of defense-
After inhibition of leaf expansion, plant assimilates can be distributed to root
system
Deep root growth
Third Line of Defense: Stomatal Closure
• Uptake & loss of water in guard cell changes their turgor and modulates stomatal
movements
• ABA plays important role
• ABA accumulates more in chloroplast and released to apoplast (cell wall space)
• From apoplast, transpiration stream carry ABA to guard cells
• Increases ABA synthesis
• ABA is a stress hormones
• Plants absorb water only when their water potential is below that of
source of water.
• Osmotic adjustments or accumulation of solutes by cell : water
potential of cell decreased without accompanying decrease in
turgor.
• Water deficit alter energy dissipation from leaves.
• When water stress limits transpiration, leaf heats up,
• Produces Thick cuticle
• CAM metabolism
Salt stress

• NaCl, sodium sulphate or salts of Magnesium

• Induces changes in anatomy and morphology
• Few avoid salinity
• Barley: avoid uptake of excessive amounts of salt.
• Cell membrane do not allow
• High salt leads to dehydration of cytoplasm
• To counter this halophytes synthesise more amino acids, sugars and
organic acids
• High salinity degrade soil structure, decreases porosity, water
permeability
• Dissolved solutes in root zone generate low osmotic potential that
lowers the soil water potential
• High ratio of Na to K ions inactivates enzymes and inhibits protein
synthesis
• Na ion replaces Ca ions from plasma membrane permeability
• Photosynthesis is inhabited
• Changes number of stomata
• Thickening of cuticle
• Diameter of xylem vessels changes
• Halophytes are salt-
tolerant plants that
grow in soil or water of
high salinity,
• Glycophytes are salt-
sensitive plants that do
not grow in soil or
water of high salinity.
Plant Responses to Temperature stresses
• Usually die above 50°C
• Cactus can survive upto 60°C
• Artiplex can survive upto 50°C
• Lower plants can withstand even high temperature
 High temperature stress
High temp. denatures proteins and protoplasm collapse.

Reduced Photosynthesis

Respiration increases and temperature of leaves increases

Hydrolysis of cell happens and protein synthesis is impaired

Some plants cool themselves by transpiration

Heat resistance desert plants are water conserves

Heat shock Proteins (HSPs) are synthesized

HSPs stabilize membranes and proteins

Freezing stress: Chilling injury
Tropical plants cant ot tolerate above 5°C or 10 °C
Freezing results in ice formation in cells
Leads to loss of cell permeability and damage to plasmalemma.
Reduces growth
Discoularation or lesions will appear on leaves
Inhibition of photosynthesis
Reduces carbon assimilation
Inhibits protein synthesis
Excessive dehydration