Agricultural productivity across the world is affected by varied abiotic
stresses, which require the development of crops tolerant to unfavorable conditions
without considerable yield loss. In recent times, considerable importance has been
given to phytohormones because of their versatile functions in plant responses to
environmental constraints and for their role in the regulation and coordination of the
growth and development of plants. Research on phytohormones has shed light on the
role of classical and new members of phytohormones in alleviating the harmful effects
of abiotic stresses on crop plants, so understanding phytohormone metabolism and its
engineering could be a potent and novel approach for developing climate-resilient
crops. The present chapter presents a short description of classical and new members of
phytohormones and their role in alleviating varied abiotic stresses. Furthermore,
molecular and genetic engineering efforts undertaken for the development of crops
tolerant to abiotic stresses are also presented along with research gaps and challenges
for the utilization of phytohormones for the development of abiotic stress-tolerant
plants.
Keywords: Auxins, Brassinosteroids, Phytohormones, Phytohormone engineering, Salicylic acid, Strigolactones.
