Epigenetics in the Agricultural Sector

Abstract

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that happen without any change in the DNA sequence. The main epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA expression, can be caused by environmental reasons. The aim of this work explains that epigenetic modifications may be due to effects of environmental stress on plant growth and productivity. The study of epigenetic-based mechanisms in the plant is an emerging field; gene expressions are modulated and reprogrammed in response to environmental stress challenges. Due to increasing global population, in the same time the availability of arable lands is decreased regularly and the severe effects of climate change problem, therefore, it is essential to understand the mechanisms that plants have progressed to adapt with varied environments stress, and in particular how plant types adapt with various kinds of biotic and abiotic stress. The main role of epigenetics study is understanding the role of the epigenetic component in regulates plant gene expression and the plant phenotype, and how the epigenome workings as a great source of diversity for main agronomical characters and on how it could use, in crop breeding and implementation programs, it would be of benefit to humanity for next era, numerous papers have studied the effects of environmental exposures and epigenetic markers that modify epigenetic states of plants and refers those epigenetic modifications may be one of the mechanisms by which abiotic stress can have positive effects on plant growth.