Traits Associated For Adaptation To Water Limited Environment Of Cereal Crops A Review Of Literature

Cereal crops mainly cultivated as a rainfed crops, where grain yield is often limited by terminal drought stress. Therefore, ability of plants to withstand drought is an important aspect of crop production in water limited conditions. In this context grain yield is closely related to post-anthesis water availability. Hence, grain yield can be increased by restricting pre anthesis water use to maximize post anthesis water availability. Therefore, identification of traits associated with water utilization of crops is important to increase crop productivity under terminal drought stress. The increase of post anthesis water availability could be achieved by manipulating traits associated for increasing water accessibility and reducing water use before anthesis. Root architectural traits that increase the soil volume explored and increase water extraction from explored soil are important aspects for increase water accessibility. Reduced water use before anthesis can be attained through smaller plant size via reducing tillering or early anthesis. Higher harvest index in water limited condition could be achieved by increasing water use efficiency through altering plant size, stomatal regulation, crop growth rate around anthesis and reducing competition between reproductive and vegetative organs. This review provides detailed inside to important crop physiological processes of transpiration, transpiration efficiency and biomass partitioning which determine crop adaptation to drought.