Physiological, biochemical and molecular signalling basis of cold stress tolerance in plants

Rajib Roychowdhury^1*Soumya Prakash Das²Puja Sarkar³Zeba Khan⁴Ajay Kumar⁵Umakanta Sarker⁶Sajeevan Radha Sivarajan^7*

• ¹Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel
• ²Seacom Skill University, Bolpur, India
• ³Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, India
• ⁴Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University, Aligarh, India
• ⁵Amity University Noida, Noida, India
• ⁶Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh
• ⁷Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet - Campus Alnarp, Alnarp, Sweden

Cold stress significantly reduces plant growth, development, and yield and threatens global food security. This review integrates our understanding of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms that enable plants to cope with cold stress. Plants employ many strategies to mitigate the negative effects of cold stress, including osmotic adjustments, the enhancement of antioxidant defenses, the accumulation of osmoprotectants, and the regulation of cold-responsive genes through transcription factors such as C-repeat binding proteins. The inducer of CBF expression-1 C-repeat binding factors cold-regulated (ICE1-CBF-COR) genetic signalling pathway is crucial for acclimatization to low temperatures and enhancing resistance to cold stress. Comprehending these systems is crucial for developing crops capable of withstanding cold climates by breeding and biotechnology. We can increase sustainable agriculture and food security in response to climate change by increasing crop resistance to cold stress. This review discusses the primary findings, methodological caveats, limitations, and areas requiring further investigation to facilitate the development of cold-tolerant crop varieties in the era of climate change.