Impact of Abiotic Stresses on Metabolic Adaptation in Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.)

Abstract

Papaver somniferum L. is a major alkaloid involved in the production of the economic crop, which has therapeutic applications due to the presence of valuable alkaloids in its opium and other plant parts. The role of alkaloids in poppy plants is as the defensive system to protect the plants against abiotic and biotic stresses. Abiotic stresses are one of the main causes which affect physiology, primary and secondary metabolism and ultimately adaptive behavior exhibited by the plant over the course of evolution. Salinity, drought, oxidative stresses, heavy metals, abiotic elicitors (methyl jasmonate), etc. are the severe abiotic stresses. The impact of these stresses on the metabolic adaptation of plants has been investigated in limited aspects, especially opium poppy and related plant species. Various adaptive mechanisms are acquired by plants to cope with these stresses are briefly described in this chapter concerning opium poppy. Moreover, the signaling pattern and transcription regulation of metabolic pathways during particular stress, along with the key genes and TF’s responsible for responses, are discussed in detail.