Abiotic Constraints in Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.): Impact and Approaches for Improvement

Abstract

Pulses are a major source of dietary protein and play an important role in food and nutritional security, particularly in developing countries. However, climate change combined with the growing incidence of abiotic and biotic stresses represent major limitations to pulse production. Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) being one of the most important pulse crop has a range of adaptive responses under drought and heat stress such as changes in roots architecture and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes. Moreover, salt and the heavy metals exposure also cause complex metabolic adaptations. highlighting the need to deepen our understanding of these physiological processes to maintain productivity and crop quality. This paper describes the wide range of stress responses present in field peas and emphasizes the need for integrating classical breeding with novel scientific advances. With increasing demand for food and a changing climate, the paper also identifies research needs for identifying and improving physiological traits related to stress tolerance. Enhancing breeding efforts aimed at developing stress-tolerant field pea genotypes is emphasized as one of the key strategies for sustainable agroecosystems and global food security.