Unfolding of Minerals Acquisition in Plants: The Role of Secondary Messengers, Phytohormones and Epigenetics Under Dehydration Stress

The escalating threat of drought stress (DS) on plant ecosystems necessitates innovative strategies to strengthen plant resilience and ensure agricultural sustainability. Minerals, as vital nutrients for plants, not only support growth and yield but also serve as stress alleviators, playing a crucial role in plant sustainability. The cellular mechanisms that facilitate mineral function involve secondary messengers (SMs), which mediate environmental DS responses and cellular signaling. These processes regulate mineral ion acquisition within plant tissues, influencing their dynamics across growth stages and enhancing DS tolerance. Beyond their general physiological roles, minerals contribute to redox biology, molecular interactions, and crosstalk with phytohormones, all of which are critical under DS conditions. At the nuclear level, stress tolerance is governed by transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs, and epigenetic modifications of nucleic acids, offering potential avenues for tailoring plant genomes in response to drought stress. This review explores the mechanisms by which secondary messengers, such as calcium ions and reactive oxygen species, connect environmental cues with cellular signaling to regulate mineral ion dynamics. Additionally, under DS conditions, biofortification plays an equally significant role in nutrient enrichment across diverse crops, addressing multiple environmental stressors. The research highlights the importance of epigenetic regulation of mineral transporters and their functional modulation in mitigating the effects of DS, suggesting a promising avenue for further investigation. Furthermore, this review underscores imperative strategies for sustainable breeding programs aimed at enhancing drought tolerance.