WRKY transcription factors for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Abiotic and biotic stresses are major constraints of plant productivity worldwide that needs to be addressed to feed world population increasing with an alarming rate. Plants have evolved various metabolic, morphological, physiological, and molecular mechanisms to cope with these stresses among which transcription factors (TFs) play a vital role. TFs regulate the expression of regulatory genes based on developmental and environmental cues. Among various types of TFs, WRKY constitute one of largest family of TFs and have been studied extensively to improve abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in plants. Therefore, this chapter summarizes introduction to WRKY, their structure, classification, and importance during abiotic and biotic stresses in various crop species.