Climate change trends have exposed crop plants to environmental changes, including an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration and variations in temperatures and rainfalls, in turn resulting in a new pattern of biotic and abiotic stresses. Rising temperatures not only lead to increased drought spells and salt concentrations, but also result in modifications in the spread of fungal diseases and higher insect pest populations. Significant yield losses caused by these stresses are a major threat for international food security as 800 million people are already underfed across the globe. What makes the situation bleaker is the demand for 70% more food by 2050. Keeping in view the challenges posed by different stresses, there is a need toutilise all available resources to address this issue. However, the complexity and variability of stress tolerance mechanisms as well as the wide range of different stress conditions experienced by plants in the fields make the improvement of stress tolerance a daunting job.