Drought stress is one of the most limiting factors in vegetable cultivation across the world, with its impact becoming increasingly serious owing to climate change and greater climatic variations. The lack of water in the environment is detrimental to vital physiological and biochemical functions in the plants, such as photosynthesis, respiration and nutrient absorption that reduce plant growth and yield potential as well as quality of vegetables. Vegetable plants are highly vulnerable to the negative effects of moisture stress particularly at crucial stages of growth such as flowering and fruit production. The process causes interference with normal plant metabolism, which affects vegetative growth and production of yield. Despite the adaptive responses displayed by plants such as morphological, physiological and biochemical adaptation, which may fail in some instances, there is a need for proper drought stress management in vegetable cultivation. This can be achieved through strategies like selecting and developing drought-tolerant plant varieties, grafting on stress-resistant rootstocks and adopting better techniques in vegetable breeding and biotechnology. Other important methods include implementing efficient irrigation practices like drip irrigation, mulching, crop rotation and intercropping. Future research needs to consider the identification of drought-tolerant genotypes as well as the adaptation mechanisms to stress and incorporate modern breeding and biotechnological approaches into the cultivation process. The implementation of these approaches and technologies is crucial for securing future vegetable
yields in the face of increasing water scarcity.
