Plant Abiotic Stress: Temperature Extremes

Extreme temperatures, above and below critical thresholds, lead to heat and cold stress, respectively, in plants – and rice is no exception. Extreme temperatures during flowering and early grain-filling stages result in reproductive failure and reduce grain quality, ultimately resulting in reduced rice yield, quality, and market revenue. Current increases in temperature and predictions of further increasing trends indicate a higher probability of rice production to be affected by heat stress. To overcome extreme temperature stress, developing cold- and heat-tolerant rice varieties using advances in the molecular technology is considered to be both viable and a stable option.