Contents: 1. Genetic engineering of crop plants for salinity and drought stress tolerance: being closer to the field. 2. Biotechnological approaches for the development of heat stress tolerance in crop plants. 3. Heat shock proteins: role and mechanism of action. 4. Reactive oxygen species generation, antioxidants and regulating genes in crops under abiotic stress conditions. 5. Antioxidant defense system in plants against abiotic stress. 6. Heat stress and its effects on plant growth and metabolism. 7. Defense mechanism in plants against abiotic stresses. 8. Breeding approaches to overcome abiotic stress. 9. Morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of plants to drought stress. 10. Stomatal activities against abiotic stress and selection of potential tolerant horticultural crops.