Content uploaded by Hassan Ragab El-Ramady
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Hassan Ragab El-Ramady on Jan 19, 2024
Content may be subject to copyright.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Corresponding author e-mail: ramady2000@gmail.com
Received: 29/09/2023; Accepted: 18/10/2023
DOI: 10.21608/EJSS.2023.239634.1668
©2022 National Information and Documentation Center (NIDOC)
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. Vol. 64, No. 1, pp: 135- 151 (2024)
Drought Stress Under a Nano-Farming Approach: A Review
Daniella Sári1, Aya Ferroudj1, Dávid Semsey1, Hassan El-Ramady1,2, Salah E.-D. Faizy2,
Shaban M. Ibrahim2, Hani Mansour3, Eric C. Brevik 4, Svein Ø. Solberg5 and József
Prokisch 1
1 Nanofood Laboratory, Department of Animal Husbandry, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and
Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of
Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi Street, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
2 Soil and Water Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, 33516 Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt.
3 Water Relations and Field Irrigation Dept., Agriculture and Biological Institute, National Research Centre, 33
El-Behouth St., 12622, Giza, Egypt
4 College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
5 Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agriculture and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences,
2401 Elverum, Norway
NGOING climate change is leading to more extreme weather, which affects agriculture in
various ways. In semi-arid regions of the world, and even some humid areas, drought stress is
becoming more frequent. Prolonged drought periods lead to severe damages to cultivated plants,
which impacts water and food resources. This review investigates how drought stress impacts plants
and how management practices can be utilized to reduce the negative effects. Special attention is
given to nano-farming where application of nanomaterials may ameliorate drought stress by
increasing enzymatic antioxidants and decreasing generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Despite the promising results of nano-farming we conclude that further research is required,
particularly to investigate potential negative effects, for example on nano-toxicity where particles can
enter groundwater or into the food chain. Finally, drought stress is a complexed problem that affects
all living organisms. A quick fix is not possible, but humankind needs to collaborate and work for a
better future for all.
Keywords: Global warming, Food crisis, Nano technology, Poverty, Water crisis, Water deficit.
1. Introduction
Drought can be defined as “drier than normal
conditions due to a deficiency of precipitation over an
extended period of time, a season or more, leading to
a water shortage” as reported by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA 2023).
Drought can come as a result of shifts in weather
systems. This can be in the monsoon, in other weather
patterns caused by global warming, or by random or
seasonal variations and rainfall anomalies (Seleiman
et al. 2021). Drought can be classified into
meteorological, hydrological, agricultural, ecological,
or socioeconomical drought depending on the cause
of the water deficits (Kresic 2009).
Drought stresses plants including their production
systems. This creates great pressure on global
resources, which are already stressed by a steadily
increasing population, ongoing climate change
(Ahluwalia et al. 2021), soil salinity, and air, water,
and soil pollution (Zandalinas and Mittler 2022).
O
Egyptian Journal of Soil Science
http://ejss.journals.ekb.eg/
9
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
136
Drought is an abiotic stress which severely aggravates
other stresses like pathogen attack, salinity, and heat,
which cause damage to cultivated plants and reduces
agricultural productivity (Fadiji et al. 2022). Drought
also is one of the most common, intense, and frequent
extreme weather events besides heatwaves and floods,
with events that differ from region to region and from
one year to another (Rajanna et al. 2023). Severe
drought events have increased globally in recent
years. Due to changes in rainfall patterns, the
frequency of droughts has led to water scarcity,
especially in arid and semi-arid regions of the world.
Several recent publications have shed light on drought
stress. It is important to investigate drought from
different points of view to understand the mechanisms
of stress and what can be done to minimize negative
effects. This includes research into projections of
future drought trends (Vicente-Serrano et al. 2023),
drought stress on crops (Fadiji et al. 2022) and forests
(Konings et al. 2021), plant propagation under
drought stress (Zhang et al. 2022), application of bio-
irrigation to mitigate drought (Rajanna et al. 2023),
how drought impacts water quality (Qiu et al. 2023),
microbial resistance to drought (Allison 2023), and
plant-soil feedback mechanisms under drought (de
Vries et al. 2023).
Nano-farming is the application of nanomaterials to
crop production, including seed germination by nano-
priming, fertilization with nanofertilizers, protecting
plants from pathogens with nanopesticides, and
enhancing crop quality with nanomaterials (El-
Ramady et al. 2023). Several studies have
investigated applications and issues in nano-farming,
such as vegetable production (Abdalla et al. 2022),
nanotoxicity issues (Behl et al. 2022), nano-farming
to improve crop production (El-Ramady et al. 2023;
Haris et al. 2023), and nitrogen cycling under
nanomanagement (Wang et al. 2023).
This review focuses on the impact of drought stress
on plants and production systems. The main aims are
to: 1) better understand the mechanisms behind
drought stress in plants; 2) provide a set of
management practices that reduce the negative effects
of drought on plant production; 3) explore drought at
a system level, including how it affects water and
food resources; and finally, 4) examine if nano-
farming could reduce the impact of drought. Drought
stress affects not only plants but also animals,
microorganisms, and the total environment. A broad
perspective will therefore be applied in this review.
2. Impacts on plants and farming systems
Drought leads to morphological and physiological
changes in plants, which includes reduced
photosynthesis, reduced transpiration, reduced root
and shoot growth, osmotic adjustments, increased
reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and
enhanced plant senescence (Nadeem et al. 2019; Ilyas
et al. 2021; Fadiji et al. 2022; Ahluwalia et al. 2021).
Drought stress damage is increased when
accompanied by other stresses, like salinity stress
(Angon et al. 2023) or heat stress (Yang et al. 2022a;
Sharma et al. 2023). Many studies have highlighted
how combined drought and salinity stress increase
negative effects on plants through impacts on
photosynthesis, growth, ionic balance, and oxidative
balance (Angon et al. 2022; Kumar et al. 2023).
Many strategies can be applied to mitigate drought
stress. These include seed priming (Ishtiaq et al.
2023), the ability of metal-based nanoparticles to
mitigate drought stress (Rasheed et al. 2022), use of
drought resistant plant varieties (Yu et al. 2022), use
of mulch or film farming (Han et al. 2023),
application of beneficial microbes (Chieb and
Gachomo 2023), super-absorbent hydrogels (Saha et
al. 2020), fertilizers like potassium (Fang et al. 2023),
selenium (Ishtiaq et al. 2023), and silicon (Anitha et
al. 2023), as well as biochar (Alotaibi et al. 2023).
The mechanisms resulting from these strategies may
directly and/or indirectly benefit or induce systemic
tolerance. System tolerance can be achieved by
improving certain biological processes in the plant,
such as stimulating the antioxidant system, enhancing
the root and shoot systems, increasing photosynthesis
rates, and improving the production of carotenoids.
The effects can also be due to phosphate
solubilization, ACC-deaminase and phytohormones
production, nitrogen fixation, and siderophore and
exopolysaccharides production (Ahluwalia et al.
2021).
Drought affects cultivated plants by reducing
photosynthesis, growth, and biomass production,
while at the same time increasing protein degradation
and oxidative chloroplast damage in plants (Ahmad et
al. 2022; Kumar et al. 2023). Qiu et al. (2023)
reported that agricultural and hydrological droughts
can increase water pollution issues and agricultural
drought is the type of drought most impacted by
climate change. A summary of drought causes, types,
and effects on plants is given in Figure 1.
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
137
Fig. 1. Drought causes, types, and its effects on cultivated plants.
There are several farming systems, including arable
or crop farming, agro-livestock farming, bio-
farming, cropping-agroforestry farming, microalgae
or seaweed farming, integrated mixed farming,
integrated livestock forestry, climate-smart
agriculture, smart or precision farming, and
enhanced smart farming (Figure 2) (El-Ramady et
al. 2023). Each of these can face drought threats,
causing significant decreases in productivity, but the
susceptibility differs from one system to another.
Drought-related losses in crop productivity might be
lower under organic compared to conventional
farming due to higher soil organic carbon content
and more abundant plant symbionts in organic
cropping systems, which potentially contribute to
improved soil water retention and aggregation
(Banerjee et al. 2019; Büchi et al. 2022; Schärer et
al. 2022; Hura et al. 2023; Liu et al. 2023; Wittwer et
al. 2023). Drought related grain yield reduction
when comparing organic farming and conservation
tillage practices was 34, 23 and 17% lower in the
organic system for maize, pea-barley, and winter
wheat, respectively (Wittwer et al. 2023).
Several studies have been published on the impacts
of drought stress under different farming systems in
many regions, such as rainfed farming in
Afghanistan (Aliyar et al. 2022), agroforestry and
goat system in India (Palsaniya et al. 2023), wet crop
farming in Indonesia (Irawan et al. 2023), rice
farming in Vietnam (van Aalst et al. 2023), semi-arid
farming in Zimbabwe (Mupepi and Matsa 2023),
organic farming and conventional farming in
Switzerland (Wittwer et al. 2023; Gavín-Centol et al.
2023), cowpea farming in Portugal (Moreira et al.
2023), agricultural drought in northeast Italy (Sofia
et al. 2023) and southern China (Pan et al. 2023), and
meteorological droughts in China (Zhang et al.
2023). Drought stress has been found to reduce
invertebrate feeding activity in soils under
conventional agriculture, which is associated with
mesofauna and their vertical migration, and which
decreased with soil depth (Gavín-Centol et al. 2023).
3. Agricultural management practices
It is necessary to manage during a drought to
minimize damage to cultivated plants, farm animals,
and the entire agroecosystem. According to previous
studies there are three levels of agro-practices that
can be applied, which can be termed individual,
combined, and multiple agro-practices (Table 1).
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
138
Management options to address drought range from
plant breeding and selection to molecular or genomic
perspectives, grafting, pruning, flower/fruits
thinning, bio-irrigation, mulching, and net shading
(Figure 3), and they can be applied at different
stages of crop development from seeding to
maturation (Liu et al. 2023). Agro-practices and
drought stress combine to cause direct and/or
indirect impacts on cultivated plants, e.g., by
reducing the formation of reactive oxygen species
(ROS) and boosting stress antioxidant enzymes and
protein expression for mitigation of drought stress
(Malko et al. 2022). Depending on plant growth
stages, many agro-chemicals can be applied as
treatments to reduce the negative effects of drought
(Devin et al. 2023). Applied silicate solubilizing
bacteria and potassium silicate supported the growth
of sugarcane under drought conditions (Anitha et al.
2023), and grafting can enhance drought resistance
in fruit and vegetable crops (Yang et al. 2022b).
Fig. 2. Some common farming systems.
There is great concern that drought is and will
continue to increase in severity, duration, and
frequency given the ongoing changes in climate and
documented increases in extreme climatic events
(Wilhite 2019). Integrated drought management
(IDM) should be moved from reactive to proactive
forms. Here, the 3-pillars of integrated drought
management good serve as a guideline. They are: (1)
monitoring and early warning systems; (2)
vulnerability and impact assessment; and (3)
mitigation, preparedness, and response actions
(Wilhite 2019). Many recent reports on IDM focus
on related-topics such as ecological drought (Sadiqi
et al. 2022) and assessing drought vulnerability for
water resources management, e.g., in Central India
(Thomas et al. 2022), Bangladesh (Islam et al. 2023),
and Iran (Jalili et al. 2023). Some studies have
focused on multiple uncertainties (Wang et al.
2023a), hydro-systems and cities (de Assis Souza
Filho et al. 2023), or food (Alves et al. 2023), This
IDM approach can involve application of materials
for mitigation of drought such as addition of
nutrients including silicon (Si), potassium nitrate
(KNO3-) (Alam et al. 2023), methyl jasmonate and
potassium (Beigi et al. (2023), or biochar and methyl
jasmonate (Nasiri et al. 2023).
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
139
Table 1: Management of crop production under drought using different agro-practices.
Agro-practices
Cultivated
crop/Setting
Main effects
Reference
I. Individual agro-practices
Grafting
Fruit and
vegetable crops
Grafting supports morphological, physiological and
molecular changes in roots, stems, and leaves and activates
osmoregulation, reduces transpiration, enhances
antioxidants, and regulates phytohormones
Yang et al.
(2022b)
Canopy
architecture
Multiple crops
Dwarf cultivars are needed for smaller leaf size to reduce
transpiration and improve energy savings
Devin et al.
(2023)
Canopy
architecture
Prunus yedoensis
seedlings
Canopy structural changes-controlled canopy-level solar
induced chlorophyll fluorescence reduction during drought
Hwang et al.
(2023)
Net shading and
mulching
Camellia oleifera
trees
Ecological mat mulching improved yield of C. oleifera by
maintaining soil water potential and temperature
Ye et al. (2021)
Deficit irrigation
for water savings
Festuca
arundinacea
The proper deficit irrigation may improve water
conservation by promoting transpiration rate, root activity,
and biomass yield
Peng et al.
(2022)
Rainwater
harvesting tools
Cultivated area of
Kumari River
basin in India
Identifying suitable sites for rainwater harvesting using
check dams, earthen dams, percolation tanks, farm ponds,
and gulley plug sites to mitigate drought effects
Bera and
Mukhopadhyay
(2023)
Seed priming
Soybean (Glycine
max L. Merr.)
seeds
Seed priming with α-naphthaleneacetic acid regulated
germination and seedling by increasing triacylglycerol
mobilization, antioxidant capacity, and sucrose transport
under drought conditions
Xing et al.
(2023)
Fertilizers (e.g.,
K, Se, Si, etc.)
Sesame
(Sesamum
indicum L.)
Potassium fertilizers improved drought stress alleviation by
increasing salicylic acid, regulation of phytohormones
(ABA acid JA) and photosynthesis
Fang et al.
(2023)
Fertilization
Tomato (Solanum
lycopersicum L.)
Se promoted photosynthetic efficiency, alleviated drought-
induced oxidative stress, and increased the endogenous
salicylic acid levels
Fan et al.
(2022)
Fertilization
Maize (Zea mays
L.)
Exogenous Si alleviated drought by improving
photosynthetic enzymes, the stomatal size and stomatal
aperture, inhibited superoxide free radicals and increased
antioxidant enzymes activities
Xu et al.
(2022)
II. Combined agro-practices
Melatonin + 24 -
epibrassinolide
Pea (Pisum
sativum L.)
Applying both improved photosynthesis, proline
accumulation, and antioxidant enzymes under combined
drought and salt stress
Yusuf et al.
(2024)
Microbes and
selenium
Camelina sativa
L.
Rhizophagus intraradices inoculant and Se-priming
improved morphological, bio-physiological properties, and
production of plants under water stress
Nazim et al.
(2023)
Abscisic acid
and Selenium
Tomato (Solanum
lycopersicum L.)
Foliar spraying of abscisic acid and Se enhanced the
vegetative growth of plants under water deficit conditions
by protecting then from oxidative stress
Ramasamy et
al. (2022)
Salicylic acid
(SA) and silicon
Scrophularia
striata L.
Foliar application of Si and SA increased phenyl-alanine
ammonialyase activity, polyphenol and proline contents
under water stress
Shohani et al.
(2023)
Si + arbuscular
mycorrhiza
fungi (AMF)
Rice (Oryza
sativa L.)
Combined use of Si fertilization with AMF application can
mitigate salinity and drought stress as AMF hyphae/spores
accumulate Si in rice roots
Etesami et al.
(2022)
K2SiO3 + silicate
solubilizing
bacteria
Sugarcane
(Saccharum spp.)
Improved uptake of Si and NPK along with enhanced plant
growth and quality parameters compared to the control
under drought conditions
Anitha et al.
(2023)
Brassinosteroids
and timber waste
biochar
Wheat (Triticum
aestivum L.)
Combined application enhanced drought tolerance by
increasing photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants, Ca, P,
and K content in plants under drought stress
Lalarukh et al.
(2022)
III. Multiple agro-practices
Multiple agro-
chemicals
Wheat (Triticum
aestivum L.)
Applying a combination of agro-chemicals and methods of
treatment as an effective treatment approach for drought
stress depend on growth stages
Malko et al.
(2022)
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
140
Fig. 3. Different levels of agro-practices for drought management.
Abbreviations: Effective Microorganisms (EM)
4. Drought stress and water resources
Climate change has many key indicators, including
a higher average global temperature, alterations in
rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, ice loss at Earth’s
poles, and more frequent and severe droughts,
hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and heatwaves
(Figure 4). As a part of the carbon, nitrogen, and
water cycles, changes that influence our climate
also influence soils and vice versa (Brevik, 2012).
There are complex interactions between cultivated
plants and water that have been studied under
drought conditions (Arab et al. 2023; Guarnizo et
al. 2023). Plant water relations that might be
disrupted by droughts due to water deficit include
root hydraulic conductance, root sap flow rate, leaf
water potential, turgor pressure, and water use
efficiency. These plant water disturbances may
reduce hydraulic conductance in both stomata and
roots, lowering water potential of the environment
due to stomatal closure during water deficit
(Guarnizo et al. 2023). Thus, a global water
shortage would become a serious eco-problem
facing all humankind. This is especially true under
the ongoing global climate changes, which have
increased concerns about drought as a key factor
restricting the development of agricultural
production worldwide (Yang et al. 2021).
Several mechanisms are initiated in plants when
they are exposed to drought (Khan et al. 2018;
Yang et al. 2021; Angon et al. 2023; Riyazuddin et
al. 2023; Wang et al. 2023b). The main
mechanisms include changes in the internal
structure and external morphology of leaves, roots,
and stems, and activation of drought-induced
proteins, osmotic regulation, and the reactive
oxygen scavenging system (Figure 4).
Morphological mechanisms include reducing leaf
stomatal density and/or conductivity, increasing the
epidermal wax layers, increasing thickness of the
leaf cuticle, and lowering levels of lignin in the
leaves. Physiological mechanisms include reducing
photosynthetic rate and Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate
(RuBP) content, increasing osmotic regulation
through K+, Na+, H+, and organic substances
(glycine betaine and polyamines, proline, and
trehalose, mannitol, fructan, and others), increasing
drought-induced proteins (e.g., dehydrin and
aquaporin), preventing degradation of chlorophyll
in leaves, and decreasing electron transfer rate or
photoinhibition (Yang et al. 2021).
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
141
Drought has serious impacts on water resources
which has led to numerous studies focused on
integrated approaches for water resource
management under drought (Alhama et al. 2020;
Alam et al. 2023; Wang et al. 2023b). This
approach to manage water resources under drought
has been employed in many regions such as
Southern Algeria (Zegait et al. 2023), Saudi Arabia
(Abd El-Hamid and Alshehri 2023), Eastern India
(Biswas et al. 2023), Italy (Rossi and Peres 2023),
North America (Asif et al. 2023), Sweden
(Teutschbein et al. 2023), and Iran (Khani et al.
2023).
Fig. 4. Climate change can induce drought, which may be accompanied with salinity or heat stress. There
are a variety of impacts of drought, and many plant adaptations to drought are common
5. Drought stress and food resources
Food resources can be defined as “natural or
artificially produced materials which are used as
food to derive metabolic energy”. These include
plant and animal sources.
Global problems linked to food resources under
drought include poverty, undernourishment, famine,
malnutrition, hunger, acute food insecurity, food-
deficit, and global food scarcity (Figure 5). Global
food security is strongly linked to the relationship
between the impacts of drought impacts and
agricultural production (Krishnamurthy R et al.
2022). With increasing food demand due to
population growth, food production needs to roughly
double by the 2050s (Leng and Hall 2019). Drought
is an extreme weather phenomenon that is one of the
main climatic constraints to crop productivity.
Drought forces crops to close their stomata to limit
evaporative water loss, thus reducing carbon uptake
for photosynthesis and decreasing yields. It is
estimated that a loss of 1820 million Mg of cereal
crops (rice, maize, and wheat) has occurred globally
during the past four decades due to droughts (Leng
and Hall 2019). The impact of drought stress on crop
productivity (food) and food security can be found in
the literature (Fadiji et al. 2022; Roy et al. 2022;
Yang et al. 2023). Integrated management of drought
risks has been discussed by Alves et al. (2023) while
agricultural drought has been investigated by studies
in several countries and regions, e.g., China (Pan et
al. 2023), Southeast Asia (Ha et al. 2023), India
(Bhukya et al. 2023), and Iran (Kheyruri et al. 2023).
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
142
Fig. 5. Common impacts of droughts on food resources under climate change.
As previously mentioned, drought causes serious
food security concerns. Investigation of these
concerns have included drought resilience in a multi-
level food supply chain in the UK (Vicario et al.
2023), agricultural vulnerability to drought in
China’s agro-pastoral ecology (Li et al. 2023),
breeding plants to be tolerant to drought stress with a
focus on rhizosphere properties (Cheraghi et al.
2023), and evaluation of the impact of complex
drought patterns on global yield loss for major crops
(Santini et al. 2022). Loss of crop productivity due to
drought stress has been investigated using many
approaches such as APSIM crop models in northeast
China (Wang et al. 2022), analyzing spatiotemporal
crop yield loss in Nepal (Dahal et al. 2023), crop
simulation, risk curves, and risk maps in Huaibei
Plain, China (Wei et al. 2022), using crop growth
stages in the Huaibei Plain, China (Wei et al. 2023),
and analysis of economic losses of crop production
in Pakistan (Rahman et al. 2023).
6. Nano-farming approach under drought
Nanotechnology has penetrated nearly all fields of
agriculture, including cropping, animal, and fish
systems. Several nanomaterials have been utilized to
mitigate stressful conditions, including drought
stress. Such material includes nanofertilizers, nano-
encapsulated plant growth regulators, nano-based
biostimulants, nanopesticides, and nanosensors
(Figure 6). These nanomaterials (NMs) are often
viewed as being eco-friendly and low-cost remedies.
They have high surface to volume ratios and possess
unique physicochemical properties that regulate plant
protective responses through synergistic actions,
which can include regulating phytohormone
signaling and modulating the gene expression of
phytohormones involved in plant growth under stress
(El-Ramady et al. 2023). The application of NMs in
agriculture has two important dimensions. The first is
the positive side of the applied NMs, which may lead
to improved performance in crop, animal, and fish
units. The second is the negative side, which may
lead to unwanted effects that result in pollution and
nano-toxicity.
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
143
Fig. 6. Nano-management practices to address drought stress and suggested nanomaterials for mitigation
of that stress.
Fig. 7. Positive and negative aspects of the use of nanomaterials in agriculture (adapted from El-Ramady et al. 2023).
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
144
Table 2. Table 2. Overview of studies where nanomaterials have been applied for the mitigation of
drought stress in various crops and with suggested mechanisms involved.
Nanomaterial
Cultivated crop
Suggested mechanism under drought stress
Reference
Iron nano-oxide
Soybean (Glycine
max L.)
Using seed priming at 300 ppm + foliar spraying 15
ppm of nano increased antioxidant activities (CAT,
SOD), and water productivity under drought stress
Farajollahi et
al. (2023)
ZnO-NPs
Mulberry (Morus
alba L.)
Applied nano at 10 ppm, as soil and foliar improved
the growth of cuttings, antioxidant enzymes, and
biomass
Haydar et al.
(2023)
Cu–Zn-magnetic
NPs
Tomato (Solanum
lycopersicum L.)
Nano-antifungal agents inhibited ergosterol
biosynthesis and managed Fusarium wilt
Bouqellah
(2023)
ZnO-NPs
Wheat (Triticum
aestivum L.)
ZnO NPs (250 ppm) enhanced drought tolerance by
improving RWC, MSI, Zn-content, chlorophyll,
protein/osmolyte contents and antioxidant enzymes
Pandya et al.
(2023)
Zinc-chitosan-
salicylic acid
(ZCS) NPs
Wheat (Triticum
aestivum L.)
ZCS-NPs (100 ppm) mitigated drought stress by
improving osmotic status, enhancing osmo-
protectants synthesis, activating anti-ROS-enzymes
Das et al.
(2023)
Nano Chitosan-
glycine betaine
Bread wheat
(Triticum
aestivum L.)
Nano-seed priming (100 mM) for 18 h improved
growth under combined drought and heat stresses by
adjusting osmotic status, conserving tissue water, and
activating the antioxidant defense systems
Al Masruri et
al. (2023)
Carbon
nanoparticles
Maize (Zea mays
L.)
Seeds were enhanced by priming 80 μg/ml (nano)
with compost and AMF under drought, increasing
enzyme activities of ascorbate peroxidase, dehydro-
ASC reductase, and mono-dehydro-ASC reductase
Alsherif et al.
(2023)
Biological nano-
silica
Wheat (Triticum
aestivum L.)
Nano 60 ppm was the effective dose for improving
plant tolerance to drought by lowering H2O2 and lipid
peroxidation and increasing relative water content and
enzyme antioxidants (APOx, CAT, and SOD)
Boora et al.
(2023)
Abscisic acid-
loaded ZnO-NPs
Maize (Zea mays
L.)
Nano improved growth under drought by reducing
lipid peroxidation and increasing antioxidant activities
(catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and peroxidase)
Fatima et al.
(2023)
Glycine betaine-
ZnO nano-
composite
Coriander seeds
(Coriandrum
sativum L.)
Applied NPs (at 100 ppm) mitigated oxidative
damage by up-regulating antioxidants, decreasing the
production of ROS, and reducing potential in plantlets
Hanif et al.
(2023)
Molybdenum
trioxide NPs
Green peas
(Pisum sativum
L.)
Applying 50 ppm MoO3-NPs increased leaf area,
nodule number, and the yield of a drought-stressed
pea by activating CAT, APOx, SOD, and GPx
enzymes
Sutulienė et al.
(2023)
Carbon
nanoparticles
Chili pepper
(Capsicum
annuum L.)
Applying nano (6 ppm) alleviated drought stress by
regulating chlorophyll content, water status, osmo-
protectants, and enzymatic antioxidants in seedlings
Alluqmani and
Alabdallah
(2023)
Abbreviations: Relative water content (RWC), Membrane stability index (MSI), catalase (CAT), superoxide
dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APOx)
Nano-fertilizers have great potential for alleviating
drought stress. Positive effects after application of
NMs have been found in numerous studies. These
include CaO-NPs (75 ppm) in canola (Mazhar et al.
2022), biological Fe3O2-NPs (0.6 – 1.2 mM) in
wheat (Noor et al. 2022), biological nano-silica (60
ppm) in wheat and other crops (Boora et al. 2023),
iron nano-oxide (priming 300 ppm + spraying
15 ppm) in soybean (Farajollahi et al. 2023), nano-
priming of ZnO-NPs (250 ppm) in wheat (Pandya
et al. 2023), and foliar applied zinc-chitosan-
salicylic-NPs in wheat (Das et al. 2023).
Nanopesticides have successfully been applied to
drought-stressed crops for the control plant
pathogens. One example is the application of nano
Se and Si to boost the productivity of common bean
under Alternaria leaf spot disease stress (Taha et al.
2023). Nanomaterials have also been used to detect
plant pathogens through tools like nano-biosensors,
nano-coding, nano-diagnostic kits, and nano-pore
sequencing (Shivashakarappa et al. 2022).
The main mechanisms of stress relief are due to
controlling the release of active ingredients in
nanofertilizers or nanopesticides. This may create
pH changes, alter enzyme activities, or change light,
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
145
temperature, or redox potential in the agro-
environment (Shen et al. 2023). It is important to
protect the active ingredients in nanopesticides and
nanofertilizers by applying nanocarriers. There is a
need for further research on optimizing the
performance of the applied NMs. Key issues in
addition to efficiency will be lowering their costs
and avoiding nanotoxicity problems (Figure 7).
Application of nanomaterials for the mitigation of
stresses such as drought has been examined for
different farming systems (El-Ramady et al. 2023)
and for the concept of “farm-to-fork” (Abdalla et al.
2022). Suggested mechanisms of NM function are
summarized in Table 2. The general mechanism
includes increased tolerance to drought stress by
increasing plant enzyme activities and reducing the
generation of ROS. Extensive additional research is
needed to understand the underlying physio-
biochemical and molecular mechanisms of NMs,
their translocation and accumulation in plants,
groundwater, the soil microbial community, farm
animals, and humans under drought conditions.
7. Conclusions
Drought stress has the ability to cause serious
damage to cultivated plants both directly and/or
indirectly. Drought limits nutrient and water uptake,
decreases net photosynthesis, and leads to
disturbances in plant enzyme activities and
metabolism. Indirect impacts include disturbances
in nutrient uptake balance, intensification of
oxidative stress, and impacts on water and food
resources as well as human health. Furthermore,
drought stress can reduce the growth and yield
production of many crops. In the last few decades,
numerous efforts have been made to find
multilateral solutions for integrated drought
management. This may reflect on many global
issues such as exploring new soil and water
resources, expanding agricultural lands, and
enhancing crop productivity under challenging
environmental conditions. Nano-management of
drought stress is considered a promising and
sustainable solution, especially if using biological
or green nanomaterials. However, an intensive
application of engineered materials may lead to
pollution and nanotoxicity. Thus, in all drought-
prone nations, drought management should be
considered an urgent need with a focus on reducing
drought risks. This requires convincing natural
resource managers and policy makers to adopt a
proactive approach to managing drought conditions.
The right drought management should be
considered a potential tool to sustain food
production and security under soil resource-limited
conditions.
Ethics approval and consent to participate: This
article does not contain any studies with human
participants or animals performed by any of the
authors.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no
conflicts of interest.
Contribution of Authors: All authors shared in
writing, editing, revising, and approving the
manuscript for publication.
Consent for publication: All authors declare their
consent for publication.
Funding: The research was supported by the
Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program.
Acknowledgments: All authors thank their
institutions for the great support and
publication.
References
Abd El-Hamid H, Alshehri F (2023). Integrated remote
sensing data and machine learning for drought
prediction in Eastern Saudi Arabia. J Coast Conserv
27, 48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-023-00971-x
Abdalla Z, Bayoumi Y, El-Bassiony AEM, Shedeed S,
Shalaby T, Elmahrouk M, Prokisch J, El-Ramady H
(2022). 'Protected Farming in the Era of Climate-
Smart Agriculture: A Photographic Overview.
Environment, Biodiversity and Soil Security, 6(2022),
pp. 237-259. Doi:
10.21608/jenvbs.2022.158187.1188
Abdalla Z., El-Ramady, H., Omara, A. E., Elsakhawy, T.,
Bayoumi, Y., Shalaby, T., Prokisch, J. (2022). From
Farm-to-Fork: A pictorial Mini Review on Nano-
Farming of Vegetables. Environ., Biodiv. Soil
Security, 6, 149-163. Doi:
10.21608/jenvbs.2022.145977.1180
Ahluwalia O, Singh PC, Bhatia R (2021). A review on
drought stress in plants: Implications, mitigation and
the role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.
Resources, Environment and Sustainability, 5,
100032.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resenv.2021.100032.
Ahmad HM, Fiaz S, Hafeez S, Zahra S, Shah AN, Gul B,
Aziz O, Mahmood-Ur-Rahman, Fakhar A, Rafique
M, Chen Y, Yang SH and Wang X (2022). Plant
Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Eliminate the
Effect of Drought Stress in Plants: A Review. Front.
Plant Sci. 13:875774. Doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.875774
Al Masruri MHK, Ullah A, Farooq, M (2023).
Application of Nano Chitosan-glycinebetaine for
Improving Bread Wheat Performance under
Combined Drought and Heat Stresses. J Soil Sci Plant
Nutr 23, 3482–3499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-
023-01265-9
Alam A, Ullah H, Attia A, et al. (2023). Integrated
Application of Silicon and Potassium Nitrate
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
146
Alleviates the Deleterious Effects of Drought Stress
on Cantaloupe Plant Growth by Improving
Biochemical and Physiological Traits. Silicon.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02512-5
Alhama I, García-Ros G, Alhama F (2020). Integrated
water resources management in the basin of the
Segura river (southeast Spain); an example of
adaptation to drought periods. Environ Earth Sci 79,
7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8729-7
Aliyar Q, Zulfiqar F, Datta A, Kuwornu JKM, Shrestha S
(2022). Drought perception and field-level adaptation
strategies of farming households in drought-prone
areas of Afghanistan. International Journal of Disaster
Risk Reduction, 72, 102862.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102862.
Allison SD (2023). Microbial drought resistance may
destabilize soil carbon. Trends Microbiol. 31(8):780-
787. Doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.03.002.
Alluqmani SM, Alabdallah NM (2023). Exogenous
application of carbon nanoparticles alleviates drought
stress by regulating water status, chlorophyll
fluorescence, osmoprotectants, and antioxidant
enzyme activity in Capsicum annumn L. Environ Sci
Pollut Res 30, 57423–57433.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26606-0
Alotaibi MO, Ikram M, Alotaibi NM, Hussain GS,
Ghoneim AM, Younis U, Naz N, Danish S (2023).
Examining the role of AMF-Biochar in the regulation
of spinach growth attributes, nutrients concentrations,
and antioxidant enzymes in mitigating drought stress.
Plant Stress, 10, 100205.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stress.2023.100205.
Alsherif EA, Almaghrabi O, Elazzazy AM, Abdel-
Mawgoud M, Beemster GTS, AbdElgawad H (2023).
Carbon nanoparticles improve the effect of compost
and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in drought-stressed
corn cultivation. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry,
194, 29-40.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.11.005.
Alves PBR, Loc HH, De Silva Y, Penny J, Babel M,
Djordjévic S (2023). The dual-risks context: A
systematic literature review for the integrated
management of flood and drought risks. International
Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 96, 103905.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103905.
Angon PB, Mondal S, Akter S, Abdul Jalil MA (2023).
Roles of CRISPR to mitigate drought and salinity
stresses on plants. Plant Stress, 8, 100169.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stress.2023.100169.
Angon PB, Tahjib-Ul-Arif M, Samin SI, Habiba U,
Hossain MA, Brestic M (2022). How Do Plants
Respond to Combined Drought and Salinity Stress?-
A Systematic Review. Plants (Basel). 11(21):2884.
Doi: 10.3390/plants11212884.
Anitha R, Vanitha K, Tamilselvi C. et al. (2023).
Potential Applications of Silicate Solubilizing
Bacteria and Potassium Silicate on Sugarcane Crop
under Drought Condition. Silicon.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02534-z
Arab MM, Askari H, Aliniaeifard S, Mokhtassi-Bidgoli
A, Estaji A, Sadat-Hosseini M, Sohrabi SS, Mesgaran
MB, Leslie CA, Brown PJ, Vahdati K (2023). Natural
variation in photosynthesis and water use efficiency
of locally adapted Persian walnut populations under
drought stress and recovery. Plant Physiology and
Biochemistry, 201, 107859.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107859.
Asif Z, Chen Z, Sadiq R, et al. (2023). Climate Change
Impacts on Water Resources and Sustainable Water
Management Strategies in North America. Water
Resour Manage 37, 2771–2786.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-023-03474-4
Banerjee S, Walder F, Buchi L, Meyer M, Held AY,
Gattinger A, Keller T, Charles R, van der Heijden
MGA (2019). Agricultural intensification reduces
microbial network complexity and the abundance of
keystone taxa in roots. ISME J., 13, pp. 1722-1736
Behl T, Kaur I, Sehgal A, Singh S, Sharma N, Bhatia S,
Al-Harrasi A, Bungau S (2022). The dichotomy of
nanotechnology as the cutting edge of agriculture:
Nano-farming as an asset versus nanotoxicity.
Chemosphere, 288, Part 2, 132533.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132533.
Beigi A, Ghooshchi F, Moghaddam HR, et al. (2023).
Effect of Methyl Jasmonate and Potassium and Their
Combined Action on Drought Tolerance of Fodder
Corn. Russ J Plant Physiol 70, 102.
https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443723600733
Bera A, Mukhopadhyay BP (2023). Identification of
suitable sites for surface rainwater harvesting in the
drought prone Kumari River basin, India in the
context of irrigation water management. Journal of
Hydrology, 621, 129655.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129655.
Bhukya S, Tiwari MK, Patel GR (2023). Assessment of
Spatiotemporal Variation of Agricultural and
Meteorological Drought in Gujarat (India) Using
Remote Sensing and GIS. J Indian Soc Remote Sens
51, 1493–1510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-023-
01715-y
Biswas T, Pal SC, Ruidas D, et al. (2023). Modelling of
groundwater potential zone in hard rock-dominated
drought-prone region of eastern India using integrated
geospatial approach. Environ Earth Sci 82, 81.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-10768-8
Boora R., Sheoran, P., Rani, N. et al. (2023).
Biosynthesized Silica Nanoparticles (Si NPs) Helps
in Mitigating Drought Stress in Wheat Through
Physiological Changes and Upregulation of Stress
Genes. Silicon 15, 5565–5577.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02439-x
Bouqellah NA (2023). In silico and in vitro investigation
of the antifungal activity of trimetallic Cu–Zn-
magnetic nanoparticles against Fusarium oxysporum
with stimulation of the tomato plant's drought stress
tolerance response. Microbial Pathogenesis, 178,
106060.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106060.
Brevik EC (2012). Soils and climate change: gas fluxes
and soil processes. Soil Horizons 53(4): 12-23.
https://doi.org/10.2136/sh12-04-0012.
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
147
Büchi L, Walder F, Banerjee S, Colombi T, van der
Heijden MGA, Keller T, Charles R, Six J (2022).
Pedoclimatic factors and management determine soil
organic carbon and aggregation in farmer fields at a
regional scale. Geoderma, 409, Article 115632.
Cheraghi M., Mousavi, S.M, Zarebanadkouki, M (2023).
Functions of rhizosheath on facilitating the uptake of
water and nutrients under drought stress: A review.
Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-
06126-z
Chieb M, Gachomo EW (2023). The role of plant growth
promoting rhizobacteria in plant drought stress
responses. BMC Plant Biol. 23(1):407. Doi:
10.1186/s12870-023-04403-8.
Dahal N.M., Xiong, D., Neupane, N. et al. (2023).
Estimating and analyzing the spatiotemporal
characteristics of crop yield loss in response to
drought in the koshi river basin, Nepal. Theor Appl
Climatol 152, 1053–1073.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-023-04447-8
Das D, Bisht K, Chauhan A, Gautam S, Jaiswal JP, Salvi
P, Lohani P (2023). Morpho-physiological and
biochemical responses in wheat foliar sprayed with
zinc-chitosan-salicylic acid nanoparticles during
drought stress. Plant Nano Biology, 4, 100034.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plana.2023.100034.
de Assis Souza Filho F, de Carvalho Studart TM, Filho
JDP, et al. (2023). Integrated proactive drought
management in hydrosystems and cities: building a
nine-step participatory planning methodology. Nat
Hazards 115, 2179–2204.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05633-z
de Vries F, Lau J, Hawkes C, Semchenko M (2023).
Plant-soil feedback under drought: does history shape
the future? Trends Ecol Evol. 38(8):708-718. Doi:
10.1016/j.tree.2023.03.001.
Devin S.R.; Prudencio, Á.S.; Mahdavi, S.M.E.; Rubio,
M.; Martínez-García, P.J.; Martínez-Gómez, P.
Orchard Management and Incorporation of
Biochemical and Molecular Strategies for Improving
Drought Tolerance in Fruit Tree Crops. Plants 2023,
12, 773. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040773
El-Ramady H, Abdalla N, Sári D, Ferroudj A, Muthu A,
Prokisch J, Fawzy ZF, Brevik EC, Solberg SØ
(2023). Nanofarming: Promising Solutions for the
Future of the Global Agricultural Industry. Agronomy
13, 1600. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061600
Etesami H, Li Z, Maathuis FJM, Cooke J (2022). The
combined use of silicon and arbuscular mycorrhizas
to mitigate salinity and drought stress in rice.
Environmental and Experimental Botany, 201,
104955.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2022.104955.
Fadiji AE, Santoyo G, Yadav AN, Babalola OO (2022).
Efforts towards overcoming drought stress in crops:
Revisiting the mechanisms employed by plant
growth-promoting bacteria. Front Microbiol.
13:962427. Doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.962427.
Fan S, Wu H, Gong H, Guo J (2022). The salicylic acid
mediates selenium-induced tolerance to drought stress
in tomato plants. Scientia Horticulturae, 300, 111092.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2022.111092.
Fang S, Yang H, Duan L, Shi J, Guo L (2023). Potassium
fertilizer improves drought stress alleviation potential
in sesame by enhancing photosynthesis and hormonal
regulation. Plant Physiol Biochem. 200:107744. Doi:
10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107744.
Fang S, Yang H, Duan L, Shi J, Guo L (2023). Potassium
fertilizer improves drought stress alleviation potential
in sesame by enhancing photosynthesis and hormonal
regulation. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 200,
107744.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107744.
Farajollahi Z, Eisvand HR, Nazarian-Firouzabadi F,
Nasrollahi AH (2023). Nano-Fe nutrition improves
soybean physiological characteristics, yield, root
features and water productivity in different planting
dates under drought stress conditions. Industrial
Crops and Products, 198, 116698.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2023.116698.
Fatima A, Safdar N, Ain N, et al. (2023). Abscisic Acid-
Loaded ZnO Nanoparticles as Drought Tolerance
Inducers in Zea mays L. with Physiological and
Biochemical Attributes. J Plant Growth Regul.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-023-11016-w
Gavín-Centol MP, Diego Serrano-Carnero, Marta
Montserrat, Svenja Meyer, Stefan Scheu, Dominika
Kundel, Andreas Fliessbach, Jaak Truu, Klaus
Birkhofer, Sara Sánchez-Moreno, Jordi Moya-Laraño
J (2023). Severe drought and conventional farming
affect detritivore feeding activity and its vertical
distribution. Basic and Applied Ecology, 69, 49-59.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2023.03.006.
Guarnizo AL, Navarro-Ródenas A, Calvo-Polanco M,
Marqués-Gálvez JE, Morte A (2023). A mycorrhizal
helper bacterium alleviates drought stress in
mycorrhizal Helianthemum almeriense plants by
regulating water relations and plant hormones.
Environmental and Experimental Botany, 207,
105228.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2023.105228.
Ha TV, Uereyen S, Kuenzer C (2023). Agricultural
drought conditions over mainland Southeast Asia:
Spatiotemporal characteristics revealed from
MODIS-based vegetation time-series. International
Journal of Applied Earth Observation and
Geoinformation, 121, 103378.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2023.103378.
Han Y, Wang Y, Zhang D, Gao H, Sun Y, Tao B, Zhang
F, Ma H, Liu X, Ren H (2023). Planting models and
deficit irrigation strategies to improve radiation use
efficiency, dry matter translocation and winter wheat
productivity under semi-arid regions. J Plant Physiol.
280:153864. Doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153864.
Hanif S, Sajjad A, Zia M (2023). Synergistic effect of
glycine betain-ZnO nanocomposite in vitro for the
amelioration of drought stress in coriander. Plant Cell
Tiss Organ Cult. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-023-
02476-9
Haris M, Hussain T, Mohamed HI, Khan A, Ansari MS,
Tauseef A, Khan AA, Akhtar N (2023).
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
148
Nanotechnology – A new frontier of nano-farming in
agricultural and food production and its development.
Science of The Total Environment, 857, Part 3,
159639.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159639.
Haydar MS, Kundu S, Kundu S, Mandal P, Roy S (2023).
Zinc oxide nano-flowers improve the growth and
propagation of mulberry cuttings grown under
different irrigation regimes by mitigating drought-
related complications and enhancing zinc uptake.
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 202, 107910.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107910.
Hura T, Hura K, Ostrowska A (2023). Drought-Stress
Induced Physiological and Molecular Changes in
Plants 2.0. Int J Mol Sci. 24(2):1773. Doi:
10.3390/ijms24021773.
Hwang Y, Kim J, Ryu Y (2023). Canopy structural
changes explain reductions in canopy-level solar
induced chlorophyll fluorescence in Prunus yedoensis
seedlings under a drought stress condition. Remote
Sensing of Environment, 296, 113733.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113733.
Ilyas M, Nisar M, Khan N, et al. (2021). Drought
Tolerance Strategies in Plants: A Mechanistic
Approach. J Plant Growth Regul 40, 926–944.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-020-10174-5
Irawan ANR, Komori D, Hendrawan VSA (2023).
Correlation analysis of agricultural drought risk on
wet farming crop and meteorological drought index in
the tropical-humid region. Theor Appl Climatol 153,
227–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-023-04461-
w
Ishtiaq M, Mazhar MW, Maqbool M, Hussain T, Hussain
SA, Casini R, Abd-ElGawad AM, Elansary HO
(2023). Seed Priming with the Selenium
Nanoparticles Maintains the Redox Status in the
Water Stressed Tomato Plants by Modulating the
Antioxidant Defense Enzymes. Plants (Basel).
12(7):1556. Doi: 10.3390/plants12071556.
Islam M, Kashem S, Momtaz Z, Hasan MM (2023). An
application of the participatory approach to develop
an integrated water resources management (IWRM)
system for the drought-affected region of Bangladesh.
Heliyon. 9(3):e14260. Doi:
10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14260.
Jalili S, Arzani K, Prudencio AS, et al. (2023). Integrated
Morphological, Physiological and Molecular
Analysis of the Drought Response in Cultivated and
Wild Prunus L. Subgenera Cerasus Species. Plant
Mol Biol Rep, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-023-
01379-5
Khan A, Pan X, Najeeb U, et al. (2018). Coping with
drought: stress and adaptive mechanisms, and
management through cultural and molecular
alternatives in cotton as vital constituents for plant
stress resilience and fitness. Biol Res 51, 47.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40659-018-0198-z
Khani M, Yavari AR, Dehghani-Sanij AR, et al. (2023).
Assessing and weighting the most effective criteria of
indigenous knowledge for use in water resources
planning and management of arid and semi-arid areas
of Iran: a case study of Yazd Province. Int. J.
Environ. Sci. Technol.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05185-0
Kheyruri Y, Sharafati A, Neshat A (2023). Predicting
agricultural drought using meteorological and ENSO
parameters in different regions of Iran based on the
LSTM model. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 37,
3599–3613. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-023-
02465-6
Konings AG, Saatchi SS, Frankenberg C, Keller M,
Leshyk V, Anderegg WRL, Humphrey V, Matheny
AM, Trugman A, Sack L, Agee E, Barnes ML, et al.
(2021). Detecting forest response to droughts with
global observations of vegetation water content. Glob
Chang Biol. 27(23):6005-6024. Doi:
10.1111/gcb.15872.
Kresic, N. (2009). Groundwater Resources:
Sustainability, Management, and Restoration.
McGraw Hill, New York.
Krishnamurthy R PK, Fisher JB, Choularton RJ, Kareiva
PM (2022). Anticipating drought-related food
security changes. Nature Sustainability 5:956–964.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00962-0.
Kumar R, Sagar V, Verma VC, Kumari M, Gujjar RS,
Goswami SK, Kumar Jha S, Pandey H, Dubey AK,
Srivastava S, Singh SP, Mall AK, Pathak AD, Singh
H, Jha PK, Prasad PVV (2023). Drought and salinity
stresses induced physio-biochemical changes in
sugarcane: an overview of tolerance mechanism and
mitigating approaches. Front Plant Sci. 14:1225234.
Doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1225234.
Lalarukh I, Amjad SF, Mansoora N, et al. (2022). Integral
effects of brassinosteroids and timber waste biochar
enhances the drought tolerance capacity of wheat
plant. Sci Rep 12, 12842.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16866-0
Leng G, Hall J (2019). Crop yield sensitivity of global
major agricultural countries to droughts and the
projected changes in the future. Sci Total Environ.
654:811-821. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.434.
Li Y., Cheng, W., Zuo, W. et al. (2023). Agricultural
Vulnerability to Drought in China’s Agro-pastoral
Ecotone: A Case Study of Yulin City, Shaanxi
Province. Chin. Geogr. Sci. 33, 934–945.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-023-1386-5
Liu X, Gao T, Liu C, Mao K, Gong X, Li C, Ma F
(2023). Fruit crops combating drought: Physiological
responses and regulatory pathways. Plant Physiol.
192(3):1768-1784. Doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad202.
Malko MM, Khanzada A, Wang X, Samo A, Li Q, Jiang
D, Cai J (2022). Chemical treatment refines drought
tolerance in wheat and its implications in changing
climate: A review. Plant Stress, 6, 100118.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stress.2022.100118.
Mansoor S, Khan T, Farooq I, Shah LR, Sharma V,
Sonne C, Rinklebe J, Ahmad P (2022). Drought and
global hunger: biotechnological interventions in
sustainability and management. Planta. 256(5):97.
Doi: 10.1007/s00425-022-04006-x.
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
149
Mazhar MW, Ishtiaq M, Maqbool M, Akram R (2022).
Seed priming with Calcium oxide nanoparticles
improves germination, biomass, antioxidant defence
and yield traits of canola plants under drought stress.
South African Journal of Botany, 151, Part A, 889-
899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2022.11.017.
Moreira R, Nunes C, P Pais I, Nobre Semedo J, Moreira
J, Sofia Bagulho A, Pereira G, Manuela Veloso M,
Scotti-Campos P (2023). Are Portuguese Cowpea
Genotypes Adapted to Drought? Phenological
Development and Grain Quality Evaluation. Biology
(Basel). 12(4):507. Doi: 10.3390/biology12040507.
Mupepi O, Matsa MM (2023). Decadal spatio-temporal
dynamics of drought in semi-arid farming regions of
Zimbabwe between 1990 and 2020: a case of
Mberengwa and Zvishavane districts. Theor Appl
Climatol 151, 1283–1299.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-04327-7
Nadeem M, Li J, Yahya M, Sher A, Ma C, Wang X, Qiu
L (2019). Research Progress and Perspective on
Drought Stress in Legumes: A Review. Int J Mol Sci.
20(10):2541. Doi: 10.3390/ijms20102541.
Nasiri S, Andalibi B, Tavakoli A, et al. (2023). Using
Biochar and Foliar Application of Methyl Jasmonate
Mitigates Destructive Effects of Drought Stress
Against Some Biochemical Characteristics and Yield
of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Gesunde Pflanzen.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-023-00853-0
Nazim M, Ali M, Li X, Anjum S, Ahmad F, Zulfiqar U,
Shahzad K, Soufan W (2023). Unraveling the
synergistic effects of microbes and selenium in
alleviating drought stress in Camelina sativa L. Plant
Stress, 9, 100193.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stress.2023.100193.
NOAA (2023). National Integrated Drought Information
System, Drought Basics. Accessed on 09.09.2023 at
https://www.drought.gov/what-is-drought/drought-
basics
Noor R, Yasmin H, Ilyas N, Nosheen A, Hassan MN,
Mumtaz S, Khan N, Ahmad A, Ahmad P (2022).
Comparative analysis of iron oxide nanoparticles
synthesized from ginger (Zingiber officinale) and
cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum) to induce
resistance in wheat against drought stress.
Chemosphere, 292, 133201.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133201.
Palsaniya DR, Kumar S, Das MM, et al. (2023). Rain
water harvesting, agroforestry and goat based
intensification for livelihood resilience in drought
prone rainfed smallholder farming system: a case for
semi-arid tropics. Agroforest Syst,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00863-x
Pan Y, Zhu Y, Lü H, Yagci AL, Fu X, Liu E, Xu H, Ding
Z, Liu R (2023). Accuracy of agricultural drought
indices and analysis of agricultural drought
characteristics in China between 2000 and 2019.
Agricultural Water Management, 283, 108305.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108305.
Pandya P, Kumar S, Sakure AA, Rafaliya R, Patil GB
(2023). Zinc oxide nanopriming elevates wheat
drought tolerance by inducing stress-responsive genes
and physio-biochemical changes. Current Plant
Biology, 35–36, 100292.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpb.2023.100292.
Peng X, Li J, Sun L, Gao Y, Cao M, Luo J (2022).
Impacts of water deficit and post-drought irrigation
on transpiration rate, root activity, and biomass yield
of Festuca arundinacea during phytoextraction.
Chemosphere, 294, 133842.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133842.
Qiu J, Shen Z, Xie H (2023). Drought impacts on
hydrology and water quality under climate change.
Sci Total Environ. 858(Pt 1):159854. Doi:
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159854.
Qtaishat T, El-Habbab MS, Bumblauskas DP, et al.
(2023). The impact of drought on food security and
sustainability in Jordan. GeoJournal 88, 1389–1400.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-022-10702-8
Rahman K, Hussain A, Ejaz N, Shang S, Balkhair KS,
Khan KUJ, Khan MA, Ur Rehman N (2023).
Analysis of production and economic losses of cash
crops under variable drought: A case study from
Punjab province of Pakistan. International Journal of
Disaster Risk Reduction, 85, 103507.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103507.
Rajanna GA, Suman A, Venkatesh P (2023). Mitigating
Drought Stress Effects in Arid and Semi-Arid Agro-
Ecosystems through Bio-irrigation Strategies—A
Review. Sustainability 15(4):3542.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043542
Ramasamy S, Nandagopal JGT, Balasubramanian M,
Girija S (2022). Effect of Abscisic acid and Selenium
foliar sprays on drought mitigation in tomato
(Solanum lycopersicum L.). Materials Today:
Proceedings, 48, Part 2, 191-195.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.465.
Rasheed A, Li H, Tahir MM, Mahmood A, Nawaz M,
Shah AN, Aslam MT, Negm S, Moustafa M, Hassan
MU, Wu Z (2022). The role of nanoparticles in plant
biochemical, physiological, and molecular responses
under drought stress: A review. Front Plant Sci.
13:976179. Doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.976179.
Riyazuddin R, Singh K, Iqbal N, Labhane N, Ramteke P,
Singh VP, Gupta R (2023). Unveiling the
biosynthesis, mechanisms, and impacts of miRNAs in
drought stress resilience in plants. Plant Physiology
and Biochemistry, 202, 107978.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107978.
Rossi G, Peres DJ (2023). Climatic and Other Global
Changes as Current Challenges in Improving Water
Systems Management: Lessons from the Case of
Italy. Water Resour Manage 37, 2387–2402.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-023-03424-0
Roy P, Pal SC, Chakrabortty R, Chowdhuri I, Saha A,
Shit M (2022). Climate change and groundwater
overdraft impacts on agricultural drought in India:
Vulnerability assessment, food security measures and
policy recommendation. Science of The Total
Environment, 849, 157850.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157850.
DANIELLA SÁRI, et al.,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
150
Sadiqi SSJ, Hong EM, Nam WH, Kim T (2022). Review:
An integrated framework for understanding
ecological drought and drought resistance. Sci Total
Environ. 846:157477. Doi:
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157477.
Saha A, Sekharan S, Manna U (2020). Superabsorbent
hydrogel (SAH) as a soil amendment for drought
management: A review. Soil and Tillage Research,
204, 104736.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2020.104736.
Santini M, Noce S, Antonelli M, Caporaso L (2022).
Complex drought patterns robustly explain global
yield loss for major crops. Sci Rep. 12(1):5792. Doi:
10.1038/s41598-022-09611-0.
Schärer ML, Dietrich L, Kundel D, Mäder P, Kahmen A
(2022). Reduced plant water use can explain higher
soil moisture in organic compared to conventional
farming systems. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ., 332,
Article 107915.
Seleiman MF, Al-Suhaibani N, Ali N, Akmal M, Alotaibi
M, Refay Y, Dindaroglu T, Abdul-Wajid HH,
Battaglia ML (2021). Drought Stress Impacts on
Plants and Different Approaches to Alleviate Its
Adverse Effects. Plants (Basel). 10(2):259. Doi:
10.3390/plants10020259.
Sharma P, Lakra N, Goyal A, Ahlawat YK, Zaid A,
Siddique KHM (2023). Drought and heat stress
mediated activation of lipid signaling in plants: a
critical review. Front Plant Sci. 14:1216835. Doi:
10.3389/fpls.2023.1216835.
Shen M, Liu S, Jiang C, Zhang T, Chen W (2023).
Recent advances in stimuli-response mechanisms of
nano-enabled controlled-release fertilizers and
pesticides. Eco-Environment & Health, 2, Issue 3,
161-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eehl.2023.07.005.
Shivashakarappa K, Reddy V, Tupakula VK, Farnian A,
Vuppula A, Gunnaiah R (2022). Nanotechnology for
the detection of plant pathogens. Plant Nano Biology,
2, 100018.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plana.2022.100018.
Shohani F, Sarghein SH, Fazeli A (2023). Simultaneous
application of salicylic acid and silicon in aerial parts
of Scrophularia striata L. in response to drought
stress. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 202,
107936.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107936.
Sofia G, Zaccone C, Tarolli P (2023). Agricultural
drought severity in NE Italy: Variability, bias, and
future scenarios. International Soil and Water
Conservation Research,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2023.07.003.
Sutulienė R., Brazaitytė, A., Małek, S. et al. (2023).
Biochemical responses of pea plants to drought stress
and in the presence of molybdenum trioxide
nanoparticles. Plant Soil.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06179-0
Taha NA, Hamden S, Bayoumi YA, Elsakhawy T, El-
Ramady H, Solberg SØ (2023). Nanofungicides with
Selenium and Silicon Can Boost the Growth and
Yield of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and
Control Alternaria Leaf Spot Disease.
Microorganisms, 11, 728.
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030728
Teutschbein C, Albrecht F, Blicharska M, et al. (2023).
Drought hazards and stakeholder perception:
Unraveling the interlinkages between drought
severity, perceived impacts, preparedness, and
management. Ambio 52, 1262–1281.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-023-01849-w
Thomas T, Nayak PC, Ventakesh B (2022). Integrated
assessment of drought vulnerability for water
resources management of Bina basin in Central India.
Environ Monit Assess 194, 621.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10300-8
van Aalst MA, Koomen E, de Groot HLF (2023).
Vulnerability and Resilience to Drought and
Saltwater Intrusion of Rice Farming Households in
the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Econ Dis Cli Cha.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41885-023-00133-1
Vicario D.R., Holman, I., Sutcliffe, C. et al. (2023).
Synergies and trade-offs in drought resilience within
a multi-level UK food supply chain. Reg Environ
Change 23, 55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-023-
02046-x
Vicente-Serrano SM, Peña-Angulo D, Beguería S,
Domínguez-Castro F, Tomás-Burguera M, Noguera I,
Gimeno-Sotelo L, El Kenawy A (2022). Global
drought trends and future projections. Philos Trans A
Math Phys Eng Sci. 380 (2238):20210285. Doi:
10.1098/rsta.2021.0285.
Wang Q, Gao L, Li Y, Shakoor N, Sun Y, Jiang Y, Zhu
G, Wang F, Shen Y, Rui Y, Zhang P (2023). Nano-
agriculture and nitrogen cycling: Opportunities and
challenges for sustainable farming. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 421, 138489.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138489.
Wang Y, Zhang X, Jia Y, et al. (2023a). An integrated
approach for agricultural water resources
management under drought with consideration of
multiple uncertainties. Stoch Environ Res Risk
Assess 37, 1763–1775.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-022-02364-2
Wang Y, Zou YN, Shu B, Wu QS (2023b). Deciphering
molecular mechanisms regarding enhanced drought
tolerance in plants by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
Scientia Horticulturae, 308, 111591.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2022.111591.
Wang Y., Lv, J., Sun, H. et al. (2022). Dynamic
agricultural drought risk assessment for maize using
weather generator and APSIM crop models. Nat
Hazards 114, 3083–3100.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05506-5
Wei Y., Jin, J., Cui, Y. et al. (2022). Agricultural drought
risk assessment based on crop simulation, risk curves,
and risk maps in Huaibei Plain of Anhui Province,
China. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 36, 3335–
3353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-022-02197-z
Wei Y., Jin, J., Li, H. et al. (2023). Assessment of
Agricultural Drought Vulnerability Based on Crop
Growth Stages: A Case Study of Huaibei Plain,
China. Int J Disaster Risk Sci 14, 209–222.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-023-00479-w
DROUGHT STRESS UNDER A NANO-FARMING APPROACH ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_
____________________________
Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 64, No. 1 (2024)
151
Wilhite DA (2019). Integrated drought management:
moving from managing disasters to managing risk in
the Mediterranean region. Euro-Mediterr J Environ
Integr 4, 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-019-
0131-z
Wittwer RA, Klaus VH, Oliveira EM, Sun Q, Liu Y,
Gilgen AK, Buchmann N, van der Heijden MGA
(2023). Limited capability of organic farming and
conservation tillage to enhance agroecosystem
resilience to severe drought. Agricultural Systems,
211, 103721.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103721.
Xing X, Cao C, Li S, Wang H, Xu Z, Qi Y, Tong F, Jiang
H, Wang X (2023). α-naphthaleneacetic acid
positively regulates soybean seed germination and
seedling establishment by increasing antioxidant
capacity, triacylglycerol mobilization and sucrose
transport under drought stress. Plant Physiology and
Biochemistry, 201, 107890.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107890.
Xu J, Guo L, Liu L (2022). Exogenous silicon alleviates
drought stress in maize by improving growth,
photosynthetic and antioxidant metabolism.
Environmental and Experimental Botany, 201,
104974.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2022.104974.
Yang L, Xia L, Zeng Y, Han Q, Zhang S (2022b).
Grafting enhances plants drought resistance: Current
understanding, mechanisms, and future perspectives.
Front Plant Sci. 13:1015317. Doi:
10.3389/fpls.2022.1015317.
Yang W, Zhang L, Yang Z (2023). Spatiotemporal
Characteristics of Droughts and Floods in Shandong
Province, China and Their Relationship with Food
Loss. Chin. Geogr. Sci. 33, 304–319.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-023-1338-0
Yang X, Lu M, Wang Y, Wang Y, Liu Z, Chen S (2021).
Response Mechanism of Plants to Drought Stress.
Horticulturae, 7, 50.
https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7030050
Yang Y, Yu J, Qian Q, Shang L (2022a). Enhancement of
Heat and Drought Stress Tolerance in Rice by
Genetic Manipulation: A Systematic Review. Rice (N
Y). 15(1):67. Doi: 10.1186/s12284-022-00614-z.
Ye H, Folz J, Li C, Zhang Y, Hou Z, Zhang L, Su S
(2021). Response of metabolic and lipid synthesis
gene expression changes in Camellia oleifera to
mulched ecological mat under drought conditions.
Science of The Total Environment, 795, 148856.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148856.
Yu Q, Xiong Y, Su X, Xiong Y, Dong Z, Zhao J, Shu X,
Bai S, Lei X, Yan L, Ma X (2022). Comparative
Metabolomic Studies of Siberian Wildrye (Elymus
sibiricus L.): A New Look at the Mechanism of Plant
Drought Resistance. Int J Mol Sci. 24(1):452. Doi:
10.3390/ijms24010452.
Yusuf M, Saeed T, Almenhali HA, Azzam F, Hamzah
AIAH, Khan TA (2024). Melatonin improved
efficiency of 24-epibrassinolide to counter the
collective stress of drought and salt through
osmoprotectant and antioxidant system in pea plants.
Scientia Horticulturae, 323, 112453.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2023.112453.
Zandalinas SI, Mittler R (2022). Plant responses to
multifactorial stress combination. New Phytologist
234, 1161–1167. doi: 10.1111/nph.18087.
Zegait R, Bouznad IE, Remini B, et al. (2023).
Comprehensive model for sustainable water resource
management in Southern Algeria: integrating remote
sensing and WEAP model. Model. Earth Syst.
Environ. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-023-01826-y
Zhang Q, Miao C, Gou J, Zheng H (2023).
Spatiotemporal characteristics and forecasting of
short-term meteorological drought in China. Journal
of Hydrology, 624, 129924.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129924.
Zhang X, Hao Z, Singh VP, Zhang Y, Feng S, Xu Y, Hao
F (2022). Drought propagation under global
warming: Characteristics, approaches, processes, and
controlling factors. Sci Total Environ. 838(Pt
2):156021. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156021.
