Oxygen stress and adaptation of a semi-aquatic plant:: rice (Oryza sativa)

One of the major abiotic stresses that affects plant growth and development is anoxia or hypoxia. Rice is a semi-aquatic plant bestowed with the capability of overcoming oxygen limitation for a considerable period of time. For instance, it can withstand submergence stress either by inherent metabolic adaptations (resistant type), or by keeping its leaves above the water surface by continuously elongating the stem (avoiding type). In the former case, an interplay, of several metabolic pathways engaged in anaerobic fermentation keeps the submerged plant alive for a certain period of time. In the latter type, also known as deepwater rice, continuous stem elongation brought about by a series of reactions in planta enables the shoot to remain above the water surface and thus maintain respiration and photosynthesis. However, the earliest event, i.e., sensing the oxygen level that brings about all the changes, has not been clearly understood. This paper intends to evaluate the metabolic adaptations of rice plants to oxygen constraints.