Small Signaling Peptides Regulate Rice Drought Stress Responses

Drought stress is increasingly recognized as a major abiotic constraint on rice (Oryza Sativa L.) productivity and yield stability, posing a significant threat to global food security under rapidly changing and increasingly complex climatic conditions. To acclimate to water deficit, rice plants dynamically activate or suppress coordinated stress-perception systems, signal-transduction cascades, and multilayered regulatory networks. Over recent decades, extensive research has identified and characterized numerous drought-responsive genes, quantitative trait loci (QTLs), and drought-tolerant rice cultivars. Concurrently, small signaling peptides have emerged as pivotal regulatory molecules that orchestrate plant growth, development, and abiotic/biotic stress responses through binding with their cognate receptors. Nevertheless, the functional significance and underlying regulatory mechanisms of small signaling peptides in rice plant adaptation to drought stress remain insufficiently elucidated. To bridge this knowledge gap, this review summarizes recent progress in elucidating the roles and regulatory mechanisms of small signaling peptides in rice drought responses and outlines future research directions aimed at resolving outstanding unanswered issues and facilitating their application in the genetic development of water-efficient and drought-resilient rice cultivars.