Moisture Stress in Upland Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and Measures to Overcome It under Changing Climate: A Review

Low yields in upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) are frequently linked to poor crop management practices along with a lack of high yielding varieties, abiotic and biotic stressors. Drought (lack of water), overwatering (waterlogging/flooding), extreme temperatures (cold, frost, and heat), etc, all negatively impact crop and other plant growth, development, yield, and seed quality. Drought or moisture stress is the most important factor affecting upland rice under changing climate. Global climate change also exacerbates the vulnerability of upland rice production. Upland rice plants undergo physiological and biochemical alterations as well as morphological changes as a result of moisture stress. Different moisture stress affects the yield of upland rice ranging from 18-97% yield loss. As a result, crop management with broad, integrative and multi-disciplinary methodologies is required to increase productivity and profitability. Different mitigation strategies to overcome moisture stress and increase upland rice yields have been addressed in this review.