Drought Stress in Brassica napus: Effects, Tolerance Mechanisms, and Management Strategies.

Drought poses serious threats to global crop production and its intensity is continuously soaring due to global warming. Brassica napus L. is an essential oilseed crop with an important place in global edible oil production. Drought-induced yield reduction is a big problem that needs to be addressed by knowing the targeted pathways and processes. Drought stress adversely affects germination, seedling establishment, photosynthetic efficiency, mineral uptake, shoot elongation, seed development, yield and quality in rapeseed. Plants attain various physiological and molecular protective approaches for tolerance under drought stress. The currently existing agronomic, breeding and biotechnological approaches can increase the adaptability provision of a conducive environment to Brassica plants facing drought stress. In the present review, we addressed the possible cross-talk among various responses of rapeseed under drought stress and discussed the potential management strategies for regulating the drought tolerance-related mechanisms. To date, various novel approaches have been tested to minimize the adverse effects of environmental stresses in B. napus. Despite the main improvements, there is still a big room for improvement in the drought tolerance of rapeseed cultivars. Thus, future research mainly using biotechnological and molecular approaches should be carried out to develop genetically engineered rapeseed plants with enhanced drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]