Drought stress significantly affects plants by altering their physiological and biochemical processes, which can severely limit their growth and development. Similarly, drought has severe negative effects on medicinal plants, which are essential for healthcare. The effects are particularly significant in areas that rely mostly on traditional medicine, which might potentially jeopardize both global health and local economies. Understanding effects of droughts on medicinal plants is essential for developing strategies to enhance plant adaptability to drought stress, which is vital for sustaining agricultural productivity under changing climatic conditions. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted on 27 studies examining various parameters such as plant yield, chlorophyll content, relative water content, essential oil content, essential oil yield, non-enzymatic antioxidants, enzymatic antioxidants, phenols, flavonoids, and proline content. The analysis explored the effects of drought across different stress conditions (control, moderate, and severe) to gain deeper insights into the drought’s impact. The categorization of these stress conditions was based on field or soil capacity: control (100–80%), moderate (80–50%), and severe (below 50%). This classification was guided by the authors’ descriptions in their studies. According to meta-analysis results, enzymatic antioxidants emerge as the most responsive parameters to stress. Other parameters such as relative water content (RWC) and yield also exhibit considerable negative mean effect sizes under all three stress conditions. Therefore, when evaluating the impacts of drought stress on medicinal plants, it is beneficial to include these three parameters (enzymatic antioxidants, RWC, and yield) in an evaluation of drought stress. The chlorophyll content has been determined not to be a reliable indicator for measuring impact of drought stress. Also, measuring antioxidants such as flavonoids and phenols could be a better option than using radical scavenging methods like DPPH (2, 2-difenil-1-pikrilhidrazil), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), and ABTS (2, 2′-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)).

Background: Salinity stress is a significant challenge in agriculture, particularly in regions where soil salinity is increasing due to factors such as irrigation practices and climate change. This stress adversely affects plant growth, development, and yield, posing a threat to the cultivation of economically important plants like Salvia fruticosa. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness by proactively applying indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) to Salvia fruticosa cuttings as a practical and efficient method for mitigating the adverse effects of salinity stress. Methods: The factors were arranged as three different IBA doses (0, 1, and 2 g/L) and four different salinity concentrations (0, 6, 12, and 18 dS/m) in controlled greenhouse conditions. Plant height (PH), flower spike length (FSL), fresh shoot length (FRL), root length (RL), fresh root weight (FRW), fresh shoot weight (FSW), dried root weight (DRW), dried shoot weight (DSW), root/shoot index, drog (g/plant), relative water content (RWC), relative membrane permeability (RMP), chlorophyll content (SPAD), extraction yield (%), DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), phenol content, flavonoid content, and ABTS (2,2′-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) values were measured. Results: The results show that as salinity doses increased, all parameters showed a decline. However, with a one-time IBA application to the plant cuttings before the rooting stage, particularly at a concentration of 2 g/L, was effective for mitigating the negative effects of salinity stress. Across all measured parameters, IBA significantly reduced the adverse impacts of salinity on Salvia fruticosa.

The utilization of Nigella sativa L., commonly known as black cumin, in traditional and medicinal practices is well-documented, attributing to its wide-ranging biological activities. Given its significance, this study explores the efficacy of various seed priming treatments (control, distilled water, potassium humate, and gibberellic acid) under laboratory and field conditions to enhance the early growth stages of Nigella sativa L. Priming treatments aimed to improve germination rates, plant height, and other growth parameters, potentially translating into increased agricultural productivity. According to results plant height ranged from 52.38 to 58.91 cm, number of branches between 3.76 and 3.98 (branch plant-1). The number of capsules varied from 4.93 to 6.81 (capsule plant-1), capsule seed weight was between 0.19 and 0.22 (gram capsule-1 ), and the thousand-seed weight ranged from 2.26 to 2.39 grams. The germination rate ranged from 78% to 93%, germination index 4.22-5.83 and mean germination time was observed from 4.27 to 4.82 days. Our findings reveal significant effects of priming on germination parameters and plant height, this offering insights into the potential of these treatments to optimize crop growth. However, the transition of these benefits to field conditions, particularly yield-related parameters, appeared limited, suggesting the complex nature of growth enhancement strategies and their implications for agricultural practices.

Abiotic stress tolerance breeding programs present a spectrum of perspectives, yet definitive solutions remain elusive, with each approach carrying its own set of advantages and disadvantages. This study systematically evaluates extant methodologies, comparing plant performance across varied genotypes and selection traits under optimal and stress conditions. The objective is to elucidate prevailing ambiguities. Ten homozygous lines (F8 generation) were assessed using a randomized block design alongside five control varieties, with four replicates cultivated under well-watered and deficit water conditions. It is noteworthy that six of the ten homozygous lines were cultivated exclusively under well-watered conditions (F3 to F7), while four lines experienced deficit water conditions (F3 to F7). All five control varieties underwent cultivation under both conditions. These findings underscore the necessity for tailored breeding programs attuned to specific environmental exigencies, recognizing that individual traits manifest divergent responses to varying conditions. It is evident that certain traits exhibit marked disparities under well-watered conditions, while others evince heightened differentiation under water deficit conditions. Significantly, our analysis reveals a pronounced interaction between irrigation regimes and selection traits, which serves to underscore the nuanced interplay between genotype and environmental stress.