Antioxidant Pathways in Plants : Recent Advances In Biotechnology Applications

Abstract

Excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to stress conditions such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures causes oxidative damage in plants that severely hampers their growth and productivity. Increasing antioxidant capacity is one of the most essential process to overcoming this damage and towards sustainable agriculture. Biotechnology provides innovative methods, including genetic engineering technology like CRISPR/Cas9 and transgenic approaches that enhance the expression of antioxidant enzymes, particularly superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Omics technologies, in particular, offer greater understanding of antioxidant pathways, allowing targeted therapy. Notable developments include engineering stress-resilient crops with improved ROS-scavenging mechanisms, which boost yield and combat agriculture's environmental footprint. Considering the well-documented involvement of oxidative damage in vegetative growth, combining biotechnology approaches with traditional breeding strategy represents an efficient strategy for tackling this problem.