Drought-induced disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism in anthers and male abortion of two Gossypium hirsutum cultivars differing in drought tolerance

Metabolomic, biochemical, and cytological observations reveal β-Pinene's protective effects against cadmium toxicity in salt-tolerant rice

Sea rice (Haidao 86) is a vital cultivar that could be cultivated in saline soil but is sensitive to heavy metal stress, and cadmium (Cd) stress in eastern coastal parts of China is frequently a great hazard. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of research on the metabolic pathways involved in the detoxification of Cd stress in sea rice. Here, we added a kind of monoterpene hormone, (1S)-(-)-β-Pinene (βP), in Cd (100 mg/kg) stressed experiment to study its interaction with sea rice. Multiple Morphological traits were significantly rescued after the application of βP. Similarly, Cd alleviation by βP was also demonstrated in physio-chemical indicators. Cd contents in roots, leaves, grains, H2O2, and MDA contents have decreased by 28.1 %, 50.9 %, 51.4 %, 18.2 %, and 18.0 %, respectively, with the presence of βP compared to Cd alone. SOD, POD, CAT, and GPX activities were elevated by 17.1 %, 40.0 %, 12.4 %, and 22.5 %, respectively, and contents of GSH and APX were also significantly modulated after the supplementation of βP. Transmission electron microscopy also indicated that the Cd+βP group had intact cellular structure compared to the Cd group. Through metabolomic analysis, 27 and 31 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were identified from CKvsCd and CdvsCd+βP. According to the results, carbohydrate metabolism (e.g. I-inositol, Gluconapoleiferin), phenylpropanoid (lignan, flavonoids) biosynthesis (e.g. Cyanidin, Leucoside), terpenoids, and alkaloids biosynthesis, were all significantly regulated with the presence of βP. Our study provided a detailed understanding of the mechanism behind Cd-stress tolerance and will aid in developing Cd tolerance in sea rice.

Growth-defence carbon allocation is complementary for enhanced crop yield under drought and heat stress in tolerant chickpea genotypes

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are major substrates for primary and secondary plant metabolism with various functions including growth, storage of carbon (C) and energy, osmotic adjustment and synthesis of antioxidants for defence against biotic and abiotic stresses. The allocation of C to growth and defence molecules is labelled antagonistic because it is perceived that limited photosynthates produced under stress is allocated preferentially to defence molecules at the expense of growth, leading to the development of the growth-defence trade-off concept. Several studies and literature reviews have provided evidence both in support and against the growth-defence trade-off. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the allocation of NSC to storage and defence molecules is at the expense of plant growth, especially in annual or short-lived flowering plants. This article reviews literature on sugar and antioxidant metabolism in tolerant/desi and sensitive/kabuli genotypes of chickpea under drought and heat stress conditions. The results show that some of the desi genotypes and drought and heat stress tolerant genotypes accumulated greater NSC, proline or antioxidant enzymes and produced higher biomass and seed yield than kabuli and sensitive genotypes under stress. This is new evidence to support the view that plants accumulate NSC and secondary metabolites and grow at the same time under drought and heat stress conditions which implies complementary allocation of C to growth and defence metabolism. Understanding the growth-defence trade-off and its application is important as it affects plant growth, seed yield, and plant fitness in both natural ecosystems and crop improvement programmes in agriculture.

Sucrose synthase: An enzyme with multiple roles in plant physiology

Sucrose synthase (SuS) is a key enzyme in the regulation of sucrose metabolism in plants and participates in the reversible reaction of sucrose conversion to uridine diphosphate-glucose and fructose. It plays an important role in promoting taproot development, starch synthesis, cellulose synthesis, improving plant nitrogen fixation capacity, sugar metabolism, and fruit and seed development. Recent studies have shown that SuS responds to abiotic stresses such as drought stress, cold stress and waterlogging stress, especially in waterlogging stress. This paper provides a comprehensive review on the basic properties, physiological functions, and signal transduction pathways of SuS, aiming to establish a theoretical foundation for its further research.

Molecular mechanisms of heterosis under drought stress in maize hybrids Zhengdan7137 and Zhengdan7153

Maize is one of the most successful crops in utilizing heterosis which significantly improves maize stresses resistance and yield. Drought is a destructive abiotic stress that significantly reduces crop yield, particularly in maize. Drought stress and re-watering frequently occur during the growth and development of maize; however, the molecular mechanisms of heterosis under drought stress and re-watering have rarely been systematically investigated. Zhengdan7137 and Zhengdan7153 are two maize hybrid varieties with robust heterosis, and separately belongs to the SS×NSS and Reid×Tangsipingtou heterotic groups. 54 transcriptomes of these two hybrids and their parental inbred lines were analyzed under well-watering (WW), water-deficit (WD), and re-watering (RW) conditions using RNA-Seq. In this study, we identified 3,411 conserved drought response genes (CDRGs) and 3,133 conserved re-watering response genes (CRRGs) between Zhengdan7137 and Zhengdan7153. When comparing CDRGs and CRRGs to overdominance and underdominance genes, we identified 303 and 252 conservative drought response overdominance genes (DODGs) and underdominance genes (DUDGs), respectively, and 165 and 267 conservative re-watering response overdominance genes (RODGs) and underdominance genes (RUDGs), respectively. DODGs are involved in stress response-related processes, such as L-phenylalanine metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and heat response, whereas DUDGs are associated with glucose metabolism, pentose-phosphate shunt, and starch metabolism. RODGs and RUDGs contribute to the recovery of hybrids from drought stress by upregulating cell propagation and photosynthesis processes, and repressing stress response processes, respectively. It indicated overdominant and underdominant genes conservatively contributed to hybrid heterosis under drought stress. These results deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of drought resistance, uncover conservative molecular mechanisms of heterosis under drought stress and re-watering, and provide potential targets for improving drought resistance in maize.

Drought resistance strategies in minor millets: a review

MAIN CONCLUSION

The review discusses growth and drought-response mechanisms in minor millets under three themes: drought escape, drought avoidance and drought tolerance. Drought is one of the most prominent abiotic stresses impacting plant growth, performance, and productivity. In the context of climate change, the prevalence and severity of drought is expected to increase in many agricultural regions worldwide. Millets (coarse grains) are a group of small-seeded grasses cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions throughout the world and are an important source of food and feed for humans and livestock. Although minor millets, i.e., foxtail millet, finger millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet and little millet are generally hardier and more drought-resistant than cereals and major millets (sorghum and pearl millet), understanding their responses, processes and strategies in response to drought is more limited. Here, we review drought resistance strategies in minor millets under three themes: drought escape (e.g., short crop cycle, short vegetative period, developmental plasticity and remobilization of assimilates), drought avoidance (e.g., root traits for better water absorption and leaf traits to control water loss), and drought tolerance (e.g., osmotic adjustment, maintenance of photosynthetic ability and antioxidant potential). Data from 'omics' studies are summarized to provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms important in drought tolerance. In addition, the final section highlights knowledge gaps and challenges to improving minor millets. This review is intended to enhance major cereals and millet per se in light of climate-related increases in aridity.

Sugar metabolism and 14-3-3 protein genes expression induced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and phosphorus addition to response drought stress in Populus cathayana

Sugar, as a nutrient exchange substance between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and host plants, plays an important role in the abiotic stress response of mycorrhizal plants. This experiment aimed to study the effects of AM fungi and phosphorus (P) addition on the sugar metabolism and 14-3-3 gene expression of Populus cathayana under drought stress. The results showed that drought affects the process of sugar metabolism by increasing the activities of amylase and invertase, resulting in the decrease of starch content in leaves and roots and the accumulation of soluble sugars (including reducing sugar and sucrose) in roots. Under drought stress, the activity or content of sucrose synthetase, sucrose phosphate synthase, acid invertase, alkaline invertase, reducing sugar, soluble sugar, sucrose, and starch in the root showed the best mycorrhizal effect at the 100 mg P level. The expression levels of the 14-3-3 genes (PcGRF10 and PcGRF11) were significantly increased by mycorrhizal induction under drought stress. These levels were positively correlated with SS, SPS, sucrose, and starch phosphorylase in leaves, as well as with almost all sugar metabolism indicators in roots. However, they were negatively correlated with starch content in both leaves and roots. Sugar metabolism and 14-3-3 protein gene expression were induced by AM fungi and P addition in response to drought stress. The 14-3-3 genes induced by AM fungi may be involved in participating in osmotic regulation during drought stress. This study provides a new idea for the mechanism of sugar metabolism of mycorrhizal plants in arid regions.

Integrated transcriptome, proteome and metabolome analyses revealed secondary metabolites and auxiliary carbohydrate metabolism augmenting drought tolerance in rice

Drought is one of the major consequences of climate change and a serious threat to rice production. Drought stress activates interactions among genes, proteins and metabolites at the molecular level. A comparative multi-omics analysis of drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive rice cultivars can decipher the molecular mechanisms involved in drought tolerance/response. Here, we characterized the global-level transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome profiles, and performed integrated analyses thereof in a drought-sensitive (IR64) and a drought-tolerant (Nagina 22) rice cultivar under control and drought-stress conditions. The transcriptional dynamics and its integration with proteome analysis revealed the role of transporters in regulation of drought stress. The proteome response illustrated the contribution of translational machinery to drought tolerance in N22. The metabolite profiling revealed that aromatic amino acids and soluble sugars contribute majorly to drought tolerance in rice. The integrated transcriptome, proteome and metabolome analysis performed using statistical and knowledge-based methods revealed the preference for auxiliary carbohydrate metabolism through glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway contributed to drought tolerance in N22. In addition, L-phenylalanine and the genes/proteins responsible for its biosynthesis were also found to contribute to drought tolerance in N22. In conclusion, our study provided mechanistic insights into the drought response/adaptation mechanism and is expected to facilitate engineering of drought tolerance in rice.

Long-Term Soil Drought Limits Starch Accumulation by Altering Sucrose Transport and Starch Synthesis in Sweet Potato Tuberous Root

In this study, the influences of long-term soil drought with three levels [soil-relative water content (SRWC) (75 ± 5)%, as the control; SRWC (55 ± 5)%, mild drought; SRWC (45 ± 5)%, severe drought] were investigated on sucrose-starch metabolism in sweet potato tuberous roots (TRs) by pot experiment. Compared to the control, drought stress increased soluble sugar and sucrose content by 4-60% and 9-75%, respectively, but reduced starch accumulation by 30-66% through decreasing the starch accumulate rate in TRs. In the drought-treated TRs, the inhibition of sucrose decomposition was attributed to the reduced activities of acid invertase (AI) and alkaline invertase (AKI) and the IbA-INV3 expression, rather than sucrose synthase (SuSy), consequently leading to the increased sucrose content in TRs. In addition, starch synthesis was inhibited mainly by reducing ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), granular starch synthase (GBSS) and starch branching enzyme (SBE) activities in TRs under drought stress, and AGPase was the rate-limiting enzyme. Furthermore, soil drought remarkably up-regulated the IbSWEET11, IbSWEET605, and IbSUT4 expressions in Jishu 26 TRs, while it down-regulated or had no significant differences in Xushu 32 and Ningzishu 1 TRs. These results suggested that the sucrose-loading capability in Jishu 26 TRs were stronger than that in Xushu 32 and Ningzishu 1 TRs. Moreover, IbA-INV3, IbAGPS1, IbAGPS2, IbGBSSI and IbSBEII play important roles in different drought-tolerant cultivars under drought stress.

Direct evidence of drought stress memory in mulberry from a physiological perspective: Antioxidative, osmotic and phytohormonal regulations

Drought stress commonly happens more than once during the life cycle of perennial trees. Stress memory endows better capacity to cope with repeated stresses for plants, while the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study, 2-month-old saplings of two mulberry cultivars (Husang32 and 7307 of Morus multicaulis) with or without an early soil water deficit were subjected to subsequent drought for 9 days. The shoot height growth, biomass production, stable carbon isotope discrimination, phytohormones, reactive oxygen species (ROS), osmotic substances and antioxidant enzymes were analyzed after the first and the second drought, respectively. Drought priming saplings sustained comparable or slightly higher biomass accumulation under the second drought than those non-priming. They also exhibited decreased levels of soluble sugars, free proline and soluble proteins, lower accumulation of malonaldehyde (MDA) and superoxide anion (O₂^•-), reduced activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) compared to non-priming plants. Moreover, cultivar Husang32 exhibited elevated abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) where 7307 displayed opposite changes. PCA suggests that MDA, H₂O₂, free proline, SOD and POD in roots, and ROS, soluble sugars and glutamate reductase in leaves are dominant factors influenced by stress memory. ABA and JA in leaves also play important roles in exerting drought imprints. Collectively, stress memory can confer mulberry resistance to recurrent drought via combined regulations of antioxidative protection, osmotic adjustment and phytohormonal responses.

Proteomic and Phosphoproteomic Analyses Reveal a Complex Network Regulating Pollen Abortion and Potential Candidate Proteins in TCMS Wheat

Thermosensitive sterile lines are natural materials for exploring the effects of anther development on male fertility. To study the possible molecular mechanisms regulating protein activity during the induction of male sterility, proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses with tandem mass tags (TMTs) were used to study the binucleate anther of the thermosensitive sterile wheat line YS3038. A total of 9072 proteins, including 5019 phosphoproteins, were identified. Enrichment analyses of differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) and phosphoproteins (DAPPs) in metabolic pathways showed that both were mainly related to energy metabolism. Soluble sugar and ATP content were significantly decreased, free fatty acid content was significantly increased, and ROS was abnormally accumulated in male sterile YS3038-A. In addition, 233 kinase-substrate pairs involved in potential phosphorylation control networks were predicted to regulate fertility. Candidate proteins were identified, and a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was used to validate the TMT results. TaPDCD5 is likely to be involved in fertility conversion of YS3038 by barley stripe mosaic virus-induced gene silencing (BSMV-VIGS). Our data provide new insights into the mechanism of TCMS, which has value for identifying potential candidate proteins associated with the formation or abortion of pollen and promotion of wheat heterosis utilization.

Identification and Characterization of HD1, a Novel Ofloxacin-Degrading Bacillus Strain

In recent years, an increasing number of lakes and soils around the world have been polluted by antibiotics, seriously threatening the ecological balance and human health. Currently, there is a lack of understanding of the biodegradation mechanism of typical antibiotics by microorganisms. In this study HD1, a novel Bacillus sp. strain called capable of effectively degrading ofloxacin (OFL), a typical antibiotic with a high detection rate in the environment, was isolated from soil contaminated by OFL. The results of single-factor experiments showed that the optimal conditions for OFL degradation included 30°C, pH 7.0, and 10 g L^–1 NaCl. After 7 days of incubation under aerobic conditions, the degradation efficiency of OFL (5 mg L^–1) was about 66.2%. Five degradation products were detected by LC-MS analysis, and it was deduced that the possible degradation pathways of OFL included the oxidation of the piperazine ring, demethylation, hydroxylation, and methoxy cleavage. Metabolomics analysis indicated that key pathways with the highest difference with HD1 metabolites included the phenylalanine, arginine, and proline metabolism pathways. By regulating energy, amino acid metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism, HD1 could alleviate OFL stress to degrade better. This study explored the degradation mechanism of OFL by HD1 and provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the remediation of OFL-contaminated environments by functional microorganisms.

A Vacuolar Invertase CsVI2 Regulates Sucrose Metabolism and Increases Drought Tolerance in Cucumis sativus L

Vacuolar invertase (VI) can irreversibly degrade sucrose into glucose and fructose and involve in plants abiotic-stress-tolerance. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is susceptible to drought stress, especially during the seedling stage. To date, the involvement of VI in drought tolerance in cucumber seedlings is in urgent need of exploration. In the present study, a cucumber vacuolar invertase gene, CsVI2, was isolated and functionally characterized. The results showed that (1) CsVI2 showed vacuolar invertase activity both in vivo and in vitro; (2) the transcript level of CsVI2, along with VI activity, was significantly induced by drought stress. Moreover, the expression of sucrose synthase 3 (CsSUS3) was increased and that of sucrose phosphate synthase 1 (CsSPS1) was decreased after exposure to drought stress, which was followed by an increase in sucrose synthase activity and a decrease in sucrose phosphate synthase activity; (3) CsVI2-overexpressing transformed cucumber seedlings showed enhanced vacuolar invertase activity and drought tolerance and 4) protein-protein interaction modelling indicated that a cucumber invertase inhibitor, CsINVINH3, can interact with CsVI2. In summary, the results indicate that CsVI2 as an invertase can regulate sucrose metabolism and enhance drought stress in cucumber seedlings.

Beneficial effects of abscisic acid and melatonin in overcoming drought stress in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Pot experiments were performed to study the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) and melatonin (MT) on cotton drought tolerance and to explore their combined effects. ABA or MT spraying promoted water status and antioxidant capacity of drought-stressed leaves, which was conducive to scavenge ROS, finally increasing lint yield. However, the mitigation mechanisms of ABA and MT on drought were not identical, which were mainly manifested as: (1) ABA increased the relative water content (RWC) of drought-stressed leaves via, reducing water loss, but MT increased it via, promoting water uptake efficiency; (2) for enzymatic antioxidant system, ABA and MT might modulate different kinds of superoxide dismutase to catalyze the reduction of O₂ ^- under drought; and (3) for ascorbic acid (AsA)-glutathione (GSH) cycle, MT increased the glutathione reductase activity in drought-stressed leaves, but ABA did not. ABA + MT spraying led to higher leaf RWC and total antioxidant capacity than single hormone under drought, leading to a lower H₂ O₂ level. For the enzymatic antioxidant system, single hormone treatment affected Cu/ZnSOD or MnSOD expression, but ABA + MT upregulated both genes in drought-stressed leaves. Hormones combined application also had higher CAT expression than single hormone. For AsA-GSH cycle, ABA + MT had higher dehydroascorbic acid reductase activity than single hormone, resulting in higher AsA content. Moreover, hormones combined application caused higher ascorbate peroxidase activity than single hormone, suggesting that their combination synergistically improved the ability of AsA to eliminate ROS. All these confirmed that ABA plus MT had synergistic effects on improving crop drought resistance.

Morpho-Physiological and Transcriptome Changes in Tomato Anthers of Different Developmental Stages under Drought Stress

Drought limits the growth and productivity of plants. Reproductive development is sensitive to drought but the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms remain unclear in tomatoes. Here, we investigated the effect of drought on tomato floral development using morpho-physiological and transcriptome analyses. Drought-induced male sterility through abnormal anther development includes pollen abortion, inadequate pollen starch accumulation and anther indehiscence which caused floral bud and opened flower abortions and reduced fruit set/yield. Under drought stress (DS), pollen mother cell to meiotic (PMC-MEI) anthers survived whereas tetrad to vacuolated uninucleate microspore (TED-VUM) anthers aborted. PMC-MEI anthers had lower ABA increase, reduced IAA and elevated sugar contents under DS relative to well-watered tomato plants. However, TED-VUM anthers had higher ABA increase and IAA levels, and lower accumulation of soluble sugars, indicating abnormal carbohydrate and hormone metabolisms when exposed to drought-stress conditions. Moreover, RNA-Seq analysis identified altogether >15,000 differentially expressed genes that were assigned to multiple pathways, suggesting that tomato anthers utilize complicated mechanisms to cope with drought. In particular, we found that tapetum development and ABA homeostasis genes were drought-induced while sugar utilization and IAA metabolic genes were drought-repressed in PMC-MEI anthers. Our results suggest an important role of phytohormones metabolisms in anther development under DS and provide novel insight into the molecular mechanism underlying drought resistance in tomatoes.

The combination of biochar and plant roots improves soil bacterial adaptation to PAH stress: Insights from soil enzymes, microbiome, and metabolome

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in agricultural soils poses serious stress to the soil microbiome. With the broad application of biochar, however, the co-effects of biochar and plant roots on the bacterial responses to PAH stress remain unclear. Here, the effects of biochar and the rhizosphere on bacterial community structure and functions were analyzed by coupling enzyme activity tests, high-throughput sequencing, and soil metabolomics. The contents of available nutrients and dissolved organic carbon, enzyme activities, and carbon metabolism functions were improved by biochar and plant roots. With the combined effects of biochar and plant roots, sucrose and starch metabolism was mainly impacted, and the soil metabolite diversity decreased. There was a strong co-occurrence network among soil properties, bacterial members, and metabolites in the biochar-amended and rhizosphere soils, favoring bacterial resistance to PAH stress, and consequently, PAH removal. In light of the above results, we suggest that biochar application can efficiently improve bacterial functions in rhizosphere soil, and our results facilitate the development of in situ remediation programs in soil contaminated with PAHs.

GhN/AINV13 positively regulates cotton stress tolerance by interacting with the 14-3-3 protein

Neutral/alkaline invertases (N/AINVs) are sucrose hydrolases with important roles in plants. In this study, 15, 15, 15, 29, and 30 N/AINVs were identified in the Gossypium species, G. raimondii, G. herbaceum, G. arboreum, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense, respectively. Along with two previously discovered branches, α and β, a new clade γ was first discovered in our study. Investigation of gene collinearity showed that whole-genome duplication (WGD) and polyploidization were responsible for the expansion of the N/AINV gene family in allopolyploid Gossypium. Moreover, expression patterns revealed that GhN/AINV3/13/17/23/24/28 from the β clade is highly expressed during the period of fiber initiation. The invertase activity of GhN/AINV13 and GhN/AINV23 were confirmed by restoring defects of invertase-deficient yeast mutant SEY2102. Treatments of abiotic stress showed that most GhN/AINVs were induced in response to polyethylene glycol (PEG) or salt stress. A virus-induced gene-silencing (VIGS) experiment and yeast two-hybrid assay demonstrated that GhN/AINV13 may interact with their positive regulators Gh14-3-3 proteins and participate in the fiber initiation or stress tolerance of cotton. Our results provided fundamental information regarding N/AINVs and highlight their potential functions in cotton stress tolerance.

Morpho-physiological and biochemical changes in finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] under drought stress

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) is a nutritious and climate-resilient crop with a C₄ type carbon fixation pathway. The present study was aimed to assess the drought tolerance capacities of four finger millet genotypes based on their physiological and biochemical characteristics at three different phenological stages. Finger millet genotypes RAU 8, GPU 67, GPU 28 and MS 9272 were subjected to two water regimes, regular irrigation (control) and suspended irrigation (drought stress). During water regimes, morpho-physiological [biomass accumulation, leaf relative water content, and photosynthetic pigments] and biochemical changes [proline content, water soluble carbohydrates, antioxidant enzymes, and malondialdehyde content] were studied during seedling (18th day), vegetative (49th day) and early flowering stages (73rd day). The maintenance of growth especially root growth, biomass accumulation, the differential response in the concentration and changes of pigments, accumulation of proline, water-soluble carbohydrates and increased levels of antioxidant enzymes under drought stress play a major role in differential tolerance in finger millet genotypes that is conferred by the biplot analysis. The genotype RAU 8 is the most drought-tolerant genotype at all the three different phenological stages. Whereas the genotype GPU 67 was identified as sensitive at the seedling stage and its tolerance level was improved at vegetative and early flowering stages. The genotypes GPU 28 and MS 9272 were considered as drought sensitive at all three different phenological stages. Our results provide inputs to the breeders to select genotypes as parents and to design effective strategies in crop improvement programs.

Physiological and PIP Transcriptional Responses to Progressive Soil Water Deficit in Three Mulberry Cultivars

Although mulberry cultivars Wubu, Yu711, and 7307 display distinct anatomical, morphological, and agronomic characteristics under natural conditions, it remains unclear if they differ in drought tolerance. To address this question and elucidate the underlying regulatory mechanisms at the whole-plant level, 2-month old saplings of the three mulberry cultivars were exposed to progressive soil water deficit for 5 days. The physiological responses and transcriptional changes of PIPs in different plant tissues were analyzed. Drought stress led to reduced leaf relative water content (RWC) and tissue water contents, differentially expressed PIPs, decreased chlorophyll and starch, increased soluble sugars and free proline, and enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes in all plant parts of the three cultivars. Concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2 •-), and malonaldehyde (MDA) were significantly declined in roots, stimulated in leaves but unaltered in wood and bark. In contrast, except the roots of 7307, soluble proteins were repressed in roots and leaves but induced in wood and bark of the three cultivars in response to progressive water deficit. These results revealed tissue-specific drought stress responses in mulberry. Comparing to cultivar Yu711 and 7307, Wubu showed generally slighter changes in leaf RWC and tissue water contents at day 2, corresponding well to the steady PIP transcript levels, foliar concentrations of chlorophyll, O2 •-, MDA, and free proline. At day 5, Wubu sustained higher tissue water contents in green tissues, displayed stronger responsiveness of PIP transcription, lower concentrations of soluble sugars and starch, lower foliar MDA, higher proline and soluble proteins, higher ROS accumulation and enhanced activities of several antioxidant enzymes. Our results indicate that whole-plant level responses of PIP transcription, osmoregulation through proline and soluble proteins and antioxidative protection are important mechanisms for mulberry to cope with drought stress. These traits play significant roles in conferring the relatively higher drought tolerance of cultivar Wubu and could be potentially useful for future mulberry improvement programmes.

Exogenous melatonin improves cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) pollen fertility under drought by regulating carbohydrate metabolism in male tissues

Although exogenous melatonin can enhance the drought tolerance of plants, reports on the role of melatonin in drought tolerance in male reproductive organs are limited. To explore this, a pot experiment was conducted with cotton cultivar Yuzaomian 9110 to study the effects of exogenous melatonin (100, 200, and 1000 μM) on male fertility and related carbohydrate metabolism in anther under drought. Results showed that drought inhibited the translocation of carbon assimilates to anthers, however, melatonin application (100 and 200 μM) significantly improved the translocation of carbon assimilates to drought-stressed anthers. Drought reduced the deposition of starch, the hydrolysis of sucrose into hexoses, the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in anthers, restricting pollen viability and germination. Nevertheless, the appropriate melatonin concentrations (100 and 200 μM) increased the starch accumulation by enhancing ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and soluble starch synthases activities and accelerated the hydrolysis of sucrose by increasing sucrose synthase, acid and alkaline invertases activities in drought-stressed anthers. Appropriate melatonin concentrations (100 and 200 μM) also could help to generate more ATP for reproductive activities of drought-stressed anthers, finally increasing the pollen viability and germination of drought-stressed plants. These findings suggest that drought inhibited male fertility of cotton, but a precise melatonin application could regulate the carbohydrate balance of drought-stressed anthers to improve male fertility. This is the first report demonstrating the important role of exogenous melatonin in improving male fertility under drought conditions by regulating the carbohydrate metabolism in the male part of cotton.