Summary
This review synthesises current knowledge on how drought stress—increasingly prevalent in semi-arid regions and Europe due to climate change—affects crop productivity and food security. It evaluates conventional and emerging management strategies, with particular emphasis on nano-farming approaches using nanomaterials to enhance plant drought resilience via antioxidant mechanisms. The authors conclude that whilst nano-farming shows promise, substantial further research is needed to characterise potential nano-toxicity risks, including particle migration into groundwater and food chains.
Regional applicability
The findings are relevant to UK agriculture, where drought frequency is increasing due to climate change, particularly in southern and eastern regions. However, the review's focus on semi-arid conditions and its emphasis on nano-farming technologies may require contextualisation for temperate UK farming systems and regulatory environments.
Key measures
Enzymatic antioxidant activity; reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation; plant responses to drought stress; nano-toxicity risk assessment
Outcomes reported
This review examined how drought stress impacts cultivated plants and evaluated management practices, particularly nano-farming approaches using nanomaterials, to reduce negative effects. The paper assessed mechanisms by which nanomaterials may increase enzymatic antioxidants and decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under drought conditions.
Topic tags
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