Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms in Plants Under Abiotic Stress

Plants exposed to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperature, nutrient imbalance and heavy-metal toxicity experience elevated formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical. At low concentrations these molecules function as signalling intermediates, coordinating gene expression, ion transport and acclimation responses, but when production exceeds scavenging capacity they inflict damage on lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, leading to impaired growth and crop losses. To maintain redox homeostasis, plants deploy a multilayered antioxidant apparatus comprising enzymatic components—superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidases and glutathione reductase—and non-enzymatic compounds such as ascorbate, glutathione, carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acids. These systems act in concert to detoxify ROS, repair oxidised biomolecules and modulate stress signalling pathways. Recent advances in molecular priming, biostimulants, genetic engineering and omics-based approaches are revealing new regulatory nodes and cross-talk among ROS, reactive nitrogen and sulphur species, and phytohormones. Understanding the compartmental origins of ROS in chloroplasts, mitochondria and peroxisomes, and the kinetics of antioxidant induction under field conditions, is essential for engineering stress-resilient crops and sustainable agronomic practices.

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Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms in Plants Under Abiotic Stress publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms in plants under abiotic stress across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Partially reduced oxygen derivatives that act as both signalling molecules and potential cellular toxins.

Oxidative stress: A state in which ROS generation overwhelms a plant’s antioxidant defences, causing cellular damage.

Abiotic stress: Non-living environmental factors such as drought, salinity and extreme temperature that adversely affect plant growth.

Enzymatic antioxidant: Proteins such as superoxide dismutase and catalase that catalyse the breakdown of ROS.

Non-enzymatic antioxidant: Small molecules including ascorbate, glutathione and phenolics that neutralise ROS and regenerate enzyme cofactors.

Redox homeostasis: The dynamic balance between oxidation and reduction reactions that maintains cellular health and signalling.

References

1. Antioxidant Agriculture for Stress-Resilient Crop Production: Field Practice. Antioxidants (2024).
2. Effects of nutritional stress on soil fertility and antioxidant enzymes of rice in different growth periods. Frontiers in Plant Science (2024).
3. An Insight into the Role of Phenolics in Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants: Current Perspective for Sustainable Environment. Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology (2024).
4. Abiotic Stress and Reactive Oxygen Species: Generation, Signaling, and Defense Mechanisms. Antioxidants (2021).