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Starch is a type of carbohydrate commonly stored in plants and is one of the primary sources of energy in food for human beings. Starch comprises a combination of amylose and amylopectin. Cereal (rice, wheat, and maize) and tuber crop (potatoes and cassava) species are the major sources of starch worldwide. However, drought and salinity can substantially impact the starch content of economically important crop species. The effects of salinity and drought on starch accumulation in economically important cereal crop species have not been updated recently. Therefore, current knowledge about how abiotic stress affects starch is crucial for ensuring global food security. According to the literature, we found that the general concept of which starch contents decrease in response to drought and salinity does not always occur in plants. Starch components can increase in abundance even in the presence of abiotic stress. Based on previous studies, it is clear that drought and salinity alter starch contents. However, the degree of these alterations depends on the kind of plant, length of exposure to stress, and type of environmental factor. This review focuses on the starch synthesis, on the effects of drought and salinity on starch composition, and on the prospects of several molecular strategies for starch enhancement or homeostasis in plants. This study further updates the prospects of improving starch contents by the use of CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing in plants. These updated insights are useful for starch management in economically important plant species under dynamic environmental conditions.

ABSTRACTMembers of the SNF1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) family are plant-specific serine or threonine kinases that play a pivotal role in the response of plants to abiotic stresses. Members of this plant-specific kinase family have included a critical regulator (SnRK2) of abscisic acid (ABA) response in plants. Plant organ development is governed substantially by the interaction of the SnRK2 and the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). Recent research has revealed a synergistic link between SnRK2 and ABA signaling in a plant’s response to stress such as drought and shoot growth. SnRK2 kinases play a dual role in the control of SnRK1 and the development of a plant. The dual role of SnRK2 kinases promotes plant growth under optimal conditions and in the absence of ABA while inhibiting the growth of plants in response to ABA. In this review, we have uncovered the roles of ABA-activated SnRK2 kinases in plants, as well as their physiological mechanisms.