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Waterlogging is one of the main abiotic stresses suffered by plants. Inhibition of aerobic respiration during waterlogging limits energy metabolism and restricts growth and a wide range of developmental processes, from seed germination to vegetative growth and further reproductive growth. Plants respond to waterlogging stress by regulating their morphological structure, energy metabolism, endogenous hormone biosynthesis, and signaling processes. In this updated review, we systematically summarize the changes in morphological structure, photosynthesis, respiration, reactive oxygen species damage, plant hormone synthesis, and signaling cascades after plants were subjected to waterlogging stress. Finally, we propose future challenges and research directions in this field.

Waterlogging, an abiotic stress, severely restricts crop yield in various parts of the world. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of 2,419 comparisons from 115 studies to comprehensively evaluate the overall change in crop yield induced by waterlogging in the global region. The results suggested that waterlogging obviously decreased crop yield by 32.9% on average, compared with no waterlogging, which was a result of a reduced 1,000-grain weight (13.67%), biomass (28.89%), plant height (10.68%), net photosynthetic rate ( P n , 39.04%), and leaf area index (LAI, 22.89%). The overall effect of a waterlogging regime on crop yield is related to the crop type; the crop yield reduction varied between wheat (25.53%) and cotton (59.95%), with an overall average value of 36.81% under field conditions. In addition, we also found that compared with no waterlogging, waterlogging in the reproductive growth stage (41.90%) caused a greater yield reduction than in the vegetative growth stage (34.75%). Furthermore, decreases in crop yield were observed with an extension in the waterlogging duration; the greatest decreases in crop yield occurred at 15 < D ≤ 28 (53.19 and 55.96%) under field and potted conditions, respectively. Overall, the results of this meta-analysis showed that waterlogging can decrease crop yield and was mainly affected by crop type, growth stage, and experimental duration.

【Objective】Drought and waterlogging are two major abiotic stresses that hinder crop growth worldwide. Understanding their spatiotemporal variation in a region is crucial for mitigating their detrimental impacts and safeguarding food production. This study proposes a method to assess waterlogging risk and applies it to wheat cultivation in the Jianghan Plain of Central China.【Method】The proposed assessment method is based on soil moisture and the waterlogging index (WI). Using daily soil-surface moisture data from 2000 to 2020 across the basin, we calculated the WI, considering the differences in waterlogging tolerance among wheat varieties, their growing stages, and the influence of soil temperature on the waterlogging threshold.【Result】From 2000 to 2020, the altitude of different areas in the plain was significantly negatively correlated with the average WI, with a correlation coefficient of -0.83. Precipitation in April was identified as a key factor influencing the WI. Areas with high waterlogging risk include Jingzhou District, Jianli City, Qianjiang City, Hanchuan City, Jiangling County, Xiantao City, Tianmen City, Zhijiang City, Dangyang City, and Hanyang District. Conversely, areas with low waterlogging risk include Zhongxiang City, Shayang County, Jingshan City, Jingmen City, and Yingcheng City. The critical threshold for wheat waterlogging in the plain was found to be WI = 10.97.【Conclusion】The method developed for assessing waterlogging risk offers an improvement over existing approaches. Its application to wheat production in the Jianghan Plain, with a spatial resolution of 1 km2, can assist in the development of effective mitigation strategies to safeguard wheat production in various areas of the plain.

This study aimed to explore the effects of waterlogging priming during the seedling stage on waterlogging tolerance in wheat at the booting stage. Greenhouse pot experiments were conducted for two consecutive years on two wheat cultivars with different response types to waterlogging priming throughout their entire growth period using four treatments: no priming and no waterlogging stress (NC), priming and no waterlogging stress (PC), no priming with waterlogging stress (NW), and priming with waterlogging stress (PW). Through an investigation of the yield, biomass, aboveground photosynthesis, root morphological structure and physiological indices, we confirmed that the effectiveness of waterlogging priming varied by cultivars. For Zhenmai10, seedling-stage waterlogging priming significantly alleviated the yield loss caused by waterlogging at the booting stage. The aboveground photosynthetic efficiency and root growth were maintained. Antioxidant system was further activated to regulate reactive oxygen species homeostasis. The anaerobic respiration process and aerenchyma formation were promoted to improve oxygen supply capacity. However, all these effects appeared to be weak in Yangmai22. Generally, we offered a new perspective on physiological mechanisms of the long-term effects of waterlogging priming from two aspects: enhancing waterlogging tolerance of plants and accelerating the physiological response of roots to waterlogging stress.

In recent years, the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall has exacerbated urban waterlogging, which has seriously constrained the sustainable development of cities. Given the problem that the impact of social information on waterlogging risk is easy to ignore in the urban risk waterlogging assessment process, it is of great significance to carry out a comprehensive waterlogging risk assessment and identify the waterlogging risk for urban waterlogging prevention and control. Based on the hazard–vulnerability assessment framework, this study comprehensively considers the flood disaster hazard and socio-economic vulnerability to carry out a multi-scenario urban waterlogging risk assessment in the central urban area of Zhoukou. The results show that, in comprehensive risk assessment, the area proportions are expressed as medium risk > low risk > higher risk > high risk. For a single waterlogging hazard assessment, the area proportions are shown as low risk > medium risk > higher risk > high risk. The difference ranges in area proportions of low, medium, higher, and high risk are (−61.00%, −54.00%), (49.00%, 56.00%), (1.30%, 2.70%), and (1.80%, 4.00%), respectively. It can be seen that compared with the single waterlogging hazard assessment, in the comprehensive waterlogging risk assessment with the introduction of the vulnerability factor, the waterlogging risk in the area with highly waterlogging vulnerability increases correspondingly, while the waterlogging risk in the area with low waterlogging vulnerability decreases relatively, and the waterlogging risk assessment results are more in line with the actual situation.

Crop tolerance to waterlogging significantly influences survival and productivity under waterlogging conditions. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying waterlogging tolerance could facilitate the development of resilient crop varieties through breeding. This study conducted a comparative analysis of the physiological, transcriptional, and metabolic responses of a waterlogging-tolerant maize genotype Guidan162 (GD) and a waterlogging-sensitive genotype Zhaofeng 588 (ZF) during the grain filling stage. Phenotypic and physiological characteristics indicated that the leaf morphology of maize plants is affected, while the levels of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) and proline significantly increase under waterlogging stress. Transcriptomic analysis identified 3280 and 2260 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal and waterlogged conditions in GD and ZF, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis of DEGs revealed that pathways related to plant stress tolerance were enriched, including peroxisome, plant hormone signal transduction, and arginine and proline metabolism. In addition, metabolomic profiling revealed 359 and 209 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) in GD and ZF under waterlogging stress. Many of these DAMs participate in arginine and proline metabolism, plant signal transduction, and glutathione metabolism. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses highlighted significant enrichment in abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, glutathione metabolism, and proline biosynthesis pathways. Several key candidate genes-including Arginase, PIP, P4H, PYR/PYL, PP2C, SnRK2, ABF, IDH, GPX, GGCT, OXP, and GCL were implicated in conferring waterlogging tolerance. These findings provide new insights into the complex molecular mechanisms of waterlogging tolerance in maize.

Waterlogging remains a significant constraint to cereal production across the globe in areas with high rainfall and/or poor drainage. Improving tolerance of plants to waterlogging is the most economical way of tackling the problem. However, under severe waterlogging combined agronomic, engineering and genetic solutions will be more effective. A wide range of agronomic and engineering solutions are currently being used by grain growers to reduce losses from waterlogging. In this scoping study, we reviewed the effects of waterlogging on plant growth, and advantages and disadvantages of various agronomic and engineering solutions which are used to mitigate waterlogging damage. Further research should be focused on: cost/benefit analyses of different drainage strategies; understanding the mechanisms of nutrient loss during waterlogging and quantifying the benefits of nutrient application; increasing soil profile de-watering through soil improvement and agronomic strategies; revealing specificity of the interaction between different management practices and environment as well as among management practices; and more importantly, combined genetic, agronomic and engineering strategies for varying environments.

Summary Group VII ethylene response factors (ERFVIIs) play important roles in ethylene signalling and plant responses to flooding. However, natural ERFVII variations in maize (ZmERFVIIs) that are directly associated with waterlogging tolerance have not been reported. Here, a candidate gene association analysis of the ZmERFVII gene family showed that a waterlogging‐responsive gene, ZmEREB180, was tightly associated with waterlogging tolerance. ZmEREB180 expression specifically responded to waterlogging and was up‐regulated by ethylene; in addition, its gene product localized to the nucleus. Variations in the 5ʹ‐untranslated region (5ʹ‐UTR) and mRNA abundance of this gene under waterlogging conditions were significantly associated with survival rate (SR). Ectopic expression of ZmEREB180 in Arabidopsis increased the SR after submergence stress, and overexpression of ZmEREB180 in maize also enhanced the SR after long‐term waterlogging stress, apparently through enhanced formation of adventitious roots (ARs) and regulation of antioxidant levels. Transcriptomic assays of the transgenic maize line under normal and waterlogged conditions further provided evidence that ZmEREB180 regulated AR development and reactive oxygen species homeostasis. Our study provides direct evidence that a ZmERFVII gene is involved in waterlogging tolerance. These findings could be applied directly to breed waterlogging‐tolerant maize cultivars and improve our understanding of waterlogging stress.

Drought and waterlogging seriously affect the growth of plants and are considered severe constraints on agricultural and forestry productivity; their frequency and degree have increased over time due to global climate change. The morphology, photosynthetic activity, antioxidant enzyme system and hormone levels of plants could change in response to water stress. The mechanisms of these changes are introduced in this review, along with research on key transcription factors and genes. Both drought and waterlogging stress similarly impact leaf morphology (such as wilting and crimping) and inhibit photosynthesis. The former affects the absorption and transportation mechanisms of plants, and the lack of water and nutrients inhibits the formation of chlorophyll, which leads to reduced photosynthetic capacity. Constitutive overexpression of 9-cis-epoxydioxygenase (NCED) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), key enzymes in abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, increases drought resistance. The latter forces leaf stomata to close in response to chemical signals, which are produced by the roots and transferred aboveground, affecting the absorption capacity of CO2, and reducing photosynthetic substrates. The root system produces adventitious roots and forms aerenchymal to adapt the stresses. Ethylene (ETH) is the main response hormone of plants to waterlogging stress, and is a member of the ERFVII subfamily, which includes response factors involved in hypoxia-induced gene expression, and responds to energy expenditure through anaerobic respiration. There are two potential adaptation mechanisms of plants (“static” or “escape”) through ETH-mediated gibberellin (GA) dynamic equilibrium to waterlogging stress in the present studies. Plant signal transduction pathways, after receiving stress stimulus signals as well as the regulatory mechanism of the subsequent synthesis of pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes to produce ethanol under a hypoxic environment caused by waterlogging, should be considered. This review provides a theoretical basis for plants to improve water stress tolerance and water-resistant breeding.