Plant viruses as probes to engineer tolerance to abiotic stress in crops
Emmanuel Aguilar, Rosa Lozano‐Durán
Abstract
This review letter, published in Stress Biology (Springer), summarizes mechanisms plant deploy to face stress situations associated with climate change, such as heat or drought stress, and how plant viruses can stablish endosymbiotic relations with their host under detrimental environmental conditions. We offer and discuss molecular mechanisms underlying the trade-offs stablish between plant host and virus, shaped by the environment, and how viral infections can turn into something beneficial for the plant. In the end, we propose that, in the current context of climate change, where ensuring food security for the ever-increasing world population is a top priority, plant viruses can offer an alternative route in the search for strategies to improve plant resilience to abiotic stress.