Chapter 9 - Plant hormones for the regulation of pesticide metabolism

Abstract

The population worldwide is increasing and to meet the needs of growing population the demand for production of food is increasing every passing day. To increase crop yield and to fight various damage causing agents in crops, pesticides have been developed which are chemical substances intended to deal with various crop problems and so far, these have given promising results in agricultural betterment. However, their excess usage is not only causing damage to plants but also to humans and environment, rising concerns worldwide. Pesticide toxicity in plants leads to oxidative stress, impairment of physiological processes of plants, accumulation of ROS and inhibition of photosynthesis and ultimately death of the plants thereby negatively impacting crop yield. Plant growth hormones are important for proper growth and development of plant. These are also very crucial in mitigation of various environmental stresses via activation of different stress signaling pathways and modulation of expression of stress responsive genes in plants. Exogenous application of different pesticides such as salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, brassinosteroids, cytokinins have given positive results in alleviation of pesticide toxicity by enhancing the activities of the enzymatic pathways for the protection of plants against oxidative damage via stimulation of the antioxidant defense mechanism in plants. The chapter below lists various responses in plants that are induced by pesticidal stress and the roles of different plant growth regulators in reducing pesticide toxicity. The study also suggests the use of phytohormones for decreasing the toxic effects of pesticides and possible improvements in future agriculture.