Himalaya is endowed with a great diversity of medicinal plants, which have been used extensively for curing a number of ailments since time immemorial. However, climatic perturbations in the region have imposed severe threat to their survival, status in wild and production of bioactive metabolites. Changes in climatic conditions include variation in different abiotic (light, water, temperature) and biotic (weed, pathogen) factors, which are known to play a key role in plant growth and development. Increased global temperature, erratic monsoon, recurrent drought/flooding events, increased insect-pest attacks, etc., have negatively affected the phenology, morpho-physiological and biochemical responses of plants. However, to date, a collective record on the occurrence of various environmental stresses in the medicinal plants is not available. Thus, this review provides comprehensive and updated information on this topic to facilitate thorough understanding of response of Himalayan plants to different stress factors. This will help in adapting potential disease management strategies, identifying resilient accessions and optimum environmental conditions for plant growth and metabolite production. Further, the review will provide valuable insight to conservation biologists, plant pathologists, plant breeders and biotechnologists about current disease and stress trends in Himalayan medicinal plants, so that location specific management practices can be adopted and/or standardized.
Pandey, Veena,Bhatt, Indra D.,Nandi, Shyamal K.. Environmental stresses in Himalayan medicinal plants: research needs and future priorities[J]. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION,2019-01-01,28(8-9):2431-2455