Environmental extremes like drought and flooding are increasingly common, causing significant crop losses.

Both drought and waterlogging impaired physiological parameters including leaf gas exchange and stem water potential, with more pronounced effects from waterlogging.

Drought adversely affected morphological growth, leading to average reductions in plant height, leaf area, stem diameter, and root weight across all genotypes.

Drought stress caused significant reductions in net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance for all hybrids, with 'iku20' showing relatively better performance.

The quantum yield efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) decreased by 43% under drought stress, with 'iku20' exhibiting the least damage compared to other hybrids.

RNA-Seq analysis revealed 6092 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Carrizo, compared to only 320 in Bitters, highlighting different responses to drought stress.

The research emphasizes the potential for using gene expression markers for early stress detection and differentiating between drought and waterlogging in kiwifruit.

This study investigates the EPF/EPFL gene family in maize, known for its role in regulating stomatal behavior, to understand its contributions to drought tolerance.

The research highlights the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance in foxtail millet, which has implications for future crop breeding efforts.

Drought stress affected several metabolic pathways, particularly plant hormone signal transduction, protein processing, and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways.

Transgenic plants overexpressing SibZIP67 exhibited lower malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and higher activities of antioxidant enzymes under drought stress.

The findings provide insights that could inform breeding strategies aimed at enhancing drought resistance in maize, contributing to agricultural sustainability amid climate challenges.