Resistance/Tolerance mechanism under water deficit (Drought) condition in plants

Drought is a shortfall of water availability sufficient to cause loss in yield. Agricultural drought is a situation where the moisture supply is inadequate to meet the requirement of the crop. To cope with the drought, resistant/tolerant plants initiate defense strategies against water deficit, which are categorized as morphological and physiochemical/biochemical mechanisms. Plant drought tolerance involves changes at whole-plant, tissue, physiological and molecular levels. Manifestation of a single or a combination of inherent changes determines the ability of the plant to sustain itself under limited moisture supply.