Drought stress affects plant growth and development by altering physiological and biochemical processes resulting in reduced crop productivity. Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient that plays fundamental roles in crop resistance against the drought stress by regulating various physiological and molecular mechanisms. Under drought stress, Zn application improves seed germination, plant water relations, cell membrane stability, osmolyte accumulation, stomatal regulation, water use efficiency and photosynthesis, thus resulting in significantly better plant performance. Moreover, Zn interacts with plant hormones, increases the expression of stress proteins and stimulates the antioxidant enzymes for counteracting drought effects. To better appraise the potential benefits arising from optimum Zn nutrition, in the present review we discuss the role of Zn in plants under drought stress. Our aim is to provide a complete, updated picture in order to orientate future research directions on this topic.

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is considered to be a new alternative mode for agricultural development, which has developed rapidly in China and attracted the attention of scholars, because it shows great concern on food safety, environmental protection and sustainable development of agriculture. Based on a comprehensive analysis of a large number of documents at home and abroad, this paper reviews the research on community-supported agriculture from the perspective of its origin, development process, characteristics, modes, functions and problems, aiming at summarizing the experiences and current problems and demonstrating recent research and development status of CSA in China in hope of providing references for its practice and research. The key conclusions in this review are: (1) CSA has a short history in China, but it is developing rapidly; (2) Chain’s CSA is characterized by a cooperative network with food safety as the primary development goal, agricultural product distribution as the main operation mode, and trust as the basis; (3) China’s CSA lacks of government’s support, and develops roughly at a small-scale. (4) With unique modes and functions, China’s CSA is facing some problems such as management, funding, talents, markets, technology and consumers’ trust. The development of CSA in China needs joint efforts from government, producers and consumers. China’s CSA needs to rely on its own advantages, make full use of its economic, social, ecological and cultural functions, combine Internet and ecological agricultural technology and explore the local modes with Chinese characteristics.