Role of Aminolevulinic Acid in Stress Adaptation and Crop Productivity

Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is found as one of the potential plant growth regulator which is involved in the development of heme, chlorophyll, bilins, vitamin B and other specialized plant products. ALA has a significant role in stress adaptation in plants through regulating several key physiological processes associated with plant adaptations such as seed germination, reduced Na+ uptake, altered light reactions, improved scavenging of reactive oxygen species, enhanced photosynthetic assimilation and maintenance of nutrients status. ALA also acts as a potential biodegradable herbicide and its herbicidal activity enhances accumulation of different chlorophyll intermediates, such as protochlorophyllide, protoporphyrin IX and Mg-protoporphyrin IX. Therefore, there are immense possibilities to increase crop productivity through application of ALA under different stress conditions.