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Physiological responses of plants under conditions of drought stress

    Authors

    1 University of Anbar

    2 Department of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening, College of Agriculture, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq

    3 Department of Soil & Water Resources, College of Agriculture, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq

    4 Department of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening, College of Agriculture, University of Anbar, Anbar, IRAQ

    5 Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design, College of Agriculture, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, IRAQ

    6 Department of Plant Production (Horticulture – Pomology), Faculty of Agriculture, Saba Basha, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, EGYPT.

,

Document Type : Review Paper

Abstract

Water stress is a global problem with wide-ranging economic and social repercussions. Its roots bear an unbalanced conflict between supply and demand, as the demand for water rises in all sectors, the amount of good quality water that is easily accessible and low cost decreases, and this decline is rapid, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, which is the driest region in the world. With regard to the impact of plants on the amount of water available, there are three levels of water stress, namely mild stress, in which the water potential of the cells decreases by a very small amount of units of water potential (MPa), followed by moderate stress, in which the water potential of the cells drops to the range (-1.2 to -1.5 MPa), severe stress represents the highest level of stress, in which the water potential of the cells decreases by less than (-1.5 MPa). The vulnerability of plants to drought conditions depends on which of the above three levels the plant is exposed to during the growth and production stages.Water stress is a global problem with wide-ranging economic and social repercussions. Its roots bear an unbalanced conflict between supply and demand, as the demand for water rises in all sectors, the amount of good quality water that is easily accessible and low cost decreases, and this decline is rapid, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, which is the driest region in the world. With regard to the impact of plants on the amount of water available, there are three levels of water stress, namely mild stress.

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References
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Kirkuk University Journal for Agricultural Sciences (KUJAS)
Volume 16, Issue 3
September 2025
Page 269-278
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