Summary
This is a comprehensive narrative review examining the generation and roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells under environmental stress. The authors synthesise understanding of ROS as both destructive agents causing cellular damage and signalling molecules conferring stress tolerance, with emphasis on the antioxidative defence systems—enzymatic and nonenzymatic—that maintain the balance between ROS production and scavenging. The paper contextualises this balance as fundamental to plant survival under adverse environmental conditions.
Regional applicability
This is a foundational plant physiology review without geographic specificity or field-trial data. The mechanisms described are applicable to UK crop and grassland systems experiencing stress (drought, salinity, temperature extremes, nutrient deficiency), but the review does not directly address UK agronomic practice or policy.
Key measures
ROS production sites, ROS concentrations, enzymatic antioxidants (e.g. superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidases), nonenzymatic antioxidants, oxidative damage markers
Outcomes reported
The paper describes ROS generation, production sites, and their dual role as signalling molecules and inducers of oxidative damage under environmental stress. It reviews the antioxidative defence mechanisms (enzymatic and nonenzymatic) that plants employ to scavenge excess ROS.
Topic tags
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