Strigolactones for Sustainable Plant Growth and Production Under Adverse Environmental Conditions

Environmental factors impair plant growth and development, and cause a massive reduction in agricultural production globally. Naturally, plants are sessile and encounter various environmental stresses such as salinity, drought, temperature nutrient deficiency, and biotic soil environment. Plants have developed complex signaling mechanisms to cope with these stresses, consisting of several elements, including phytohormones. Recently, Strigolactones (SLs) have emerged as a driving force, regulating plant growth and developmental processes, and play a vital role in addressing environmental stresses. At first, SLs were identified as harmful agents for plants due to their restorative role in the seed development of parasitic plants; however, a beneficial role in plant growth and development was discovered later on. Therefore, SLs are considered as crucial hormones for maintaining plant architecture by modulating root and shoot generation in response to several stresses. Nevertheless, the engineering of regulation and biosynthesis of the SLs pathway makes it a more suitable hormone to develop genetically manipulated plants with improved environmental stress tolerance. Here, we have discussed the biosynthesis of SLs and their regulatory role in response to various stresses. Knowledge of the signaling mechanisms of SLs could be useful for future crop improvement programs.