Calcium-mediated signaling mechanisms enhancing drought tolerance and agronomic resilience in arable crops.

Calcium signaling, mainly via kinase pathways, is a crucial regulator of drought tolerance in crops, with maize and rice being the most studied species.

• Why it matters: Understanding how calcium interacts with other signaling molecules like ABA and ROS is vital to improve crop resilience amid increasing drought stress and to address food security challenges.
• What they did: The review analyzed studies from 1998 to 2026 involving over a dozen crop types, focusing on calcium-mediated mechanisms such as stomatal closure, ion transport, and antioxidant responses, primarily through multi-omics and physiological assessments.
• The result: Calcium signaling enhances drought resilience by promoting water-use efficiency, membrane stability, and yield maintenance, and integrated agronomic practices that increase calcium availability could further support crop adaptation.