Climate change has become one of the most important challenges facing agriculture and global food security in recent decades. Rising air temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, frequent droughts, and heat waves have seriously affected the growth and yield of many crop plants. Among environmental stresses, heat stress is one of the major limiting factors of crop production; by disrupting physiological and biochemical processes in plants, it leads to yield reduction, especially during sensitive developmental stages such as flowering and grain filling.



This review article, based on reliable national and international scientific sources, examines the effects of heat stress on the growth and yield of crop plants. The results indicate that temperatures above the optimal growth range reduce grain formation and filling through enzyme denaturation, decreased photosynthesis, increased respiration, damage to cell membranes, reduced chlorophyll stability, and disruption of pollination. The simultaneous occurrence of heat and drought stress causes more severe effects, leading to reductions in growth, leaf area, and yield.



Plants respond to these stresses through mechanisms such as activation of antioxidant systems, accumulation of osmolytes, and regulation of hormones such as abscisic acid and salicylic acid. The application of compounds such as salicylic acid, humic acid, brassinolide, brassinosteroids, and others, along with management strategies including breeding and use of heat-tolerant cultivars, adjustment of sowing dates, and optimal irrigation and nutrient management, can be effective in enhancing heat tolerance and maintaining production stability under climate change conditions.