Facundo Cortez, Agustina Orden, Mónica Bellozas Reinhard, Miguel Ángel Cantarelli, Laura S. Mazzaferro, Carlos Alberto Moldes
{"title":"Bioaccumulation of lead and oxidative stress response in Santolina chamaecyparissus","authors":"Facundo Cortez, Agustina Orden, Mónica Bellozas Reinhard, Miguel Ángel Cantarelli, Laura S. Mazzaferro, Carlos Alberto Moldes","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03817-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03817-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study evaluates lead (Pb) bioaccumulation in <i>Santolina chamaecyparissus</i>, an aromatic plant from the Mediterranean and North Africa, known for its therapeutic uses. The research focuses on the plant response to Pb exposure, assessing oxidative stress, antioxidant enzyme activity, and the plant potential for phytoremediation. Seedlings were grown in a controlled greenhouse and exposed to treatments ranging from 0 to 2000 mg Pb kg<sup>−1</sup> of substrate for 160 days. Pb was quantified in leaves and plant substrates, and plant growth, lipid peroxidation, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes—catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase—were assessed. Statistical analysis, including univariate and multivariate approaches, revealed that <i>S. chamaecyparissus</i> demonstrates significant tolerance to Pb, with oxidative stress and antioxidant responses only at 2000 mg Pb kg<sup>−1</sup> substrate. Lead treatment of 250 mg Pb kg<sup>−1</sup> substrate showed higher Pb accumulation factor compared to high Pb levels (500–2000 mg Pb kg<sup>−1</sup> substrate). The findings suggest the plant potential for soil decontamination and the efficacy of multivariate analysis in environmental stress research.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145143836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Responses of tropical legumes to nickel stress: impacts on growth, foliar structure, and nitrogen metabolism","authors":"Tassia Caroline Ferreira, Patricia Fernanda Rosalem, Maiara Luzia Grigoli Olivio, Beatriz Silvério dos Santos, Nayane Cristina Pires Bomfim, Aline Renee Coscione, Aline Redondo Martins, Liliane Santos de Camargos","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03814-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03814-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nickel, although an essential micronutrient at low concentrations, can exert detrimental effects on plant growth and development when present in excess, particularly due to anthropogenic activities like industrial processes. Leguminous plants, including <i>Calopogonium mucunoides</i> (Calopo) and <i>Canavalia ensiformis</i> (Jack bean), renowned for their nitrogen-fixing symbioses with rhizobia and their potential to enhance soil fertility, were investigated for their differential responses to moderate Ni stress. This study examined the impact of Ni on biomass production, Ni accumulation, leaf anatomy, and nitrogen metabolism in these legumes. Results demonstrated contrasting responses: Jack bean exhibited higher Ni accumulation in both leaves and roots, concomitant with enhanced growth and pronounced anatomical modifications, suggesting greater tolerance. In contrast, Calopo displayed significant alterations in root protein and amino acid content. Principal component analysis corroborated these findings, highlighting distinct acclimatization strategies employed by each species. This research provides valuable insights into the complex impact of Ni on plant biodiversity, emphasizing the importance of investigating understudied species to comprehend the diverse physiological responses to trace element stress.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145143360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Civan Çelik, Ümmü Tuğlu, İsa Telci, Yaşar Karakurt, Temel Özek, Gülmira Özek
{"title":"Determination of gene expression of some essential oil components and some genes responsible for the synthesis of these components in Mentha species harvested in different phenological periods","authors":"Civan Çelik, Ümmü Tuğlu, İsa Telci, Yaşar Karakurt, Temel Özek, Gülmira Özek","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03815-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03815-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Peppermint (<i>Mentha</i> × <i>piperita</i>) is widely recognized as a significant medicinal plant worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the gene expression levels of key genes involved in essential oil biosynthesis—limonene synthase (<i>ls</i>), limon-3-hydroxylase (<i>l3oh</i>), trans-isopiperitenol dehydrogenase (<i>ipd</i>), isopiperitenone reductase (<i>ipr</i>), menthol dehydrogenase (<i>mdeh</i>), and menthofuran synthase (<i>mfs</i>)—as well as the changes in various essential oil components across phenological stages in selected mint samples. The results revealed that the expression levels of genes associated with terpene biosynthesis varied among peppermint varieties. Additionally, seasonal variations were observed in the essential oil components of the studied varieties. While changes in the main chemical constituents were not always consistent with gene expression levels, some terpenes present in lower concentrations exhibited patterns that aligned with gene activity. Moreover, varieties displaying higher seasonal averages of gene expression levels were found to have higher overall essential oil content. This suggests that the genes studied play a broader role in the synthesis of terpene groups rather than being limited to the regulation of specific primary constituents. These findings provide important insights into the genetic and biochemical mechanisms regulating essential oil composition in mint. Such knowledge can contribute to the development of targeted breeding and cultivation strategies aimed at enhancing the medicinal and commercial value of peppermint.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11738-025-03815-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145143088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing crop resilience with melatonin seed treatment in horticulture crops","authors":"Vinaykumar Rachappanavar","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03808-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03808-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Recent shifts in climate patterns have exerted a profound impact on farmers’ earnings, resulting in diminished crop yields. To counteract these diverse environmental stressors, novel strategies have been developed to enhance plants’ ability to tolerate stress. Among them, the application of phytohormones to plants under stress conditions has gained significant importance recently. This necessitates the utilization of phytohormones or biostimulators in agricultural practices, which demonstrate a positive influence on plant growth regulation and fortification of resilience through augmentation of a various biochemical, physiological, and molecular processes. Hence, exploring the effects and mechanisms of these phytohormones is of paramount importance for cultivating enhanced stress tolerance. Among these phytohormones, melatonin (MT) has shown substantial evidence of bolstering seed germination even under various abiotic stressors. Additionally, MT seed treatment has been observed to enhance root morphology, seed germination, photosynthesis, seedling growth, delay leaf senescence, boost antioxidant efficiency, facilitate fruit maturation, and promote cellular and tissue-level histogenesis. Consequently, this study aims to delve into the impacts of MT seed treatment on its augmentation of seed germination under abiotic stress conditions, focusing on the modification of hormonal and genetic expressions. Our primary objective is to investigate the comprehensive spectrum of effects triggered by MT in enhancing seed germination, establishing seedlings, promoting plant development, and maintaining homeostasis amid abiotic stress conditions. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nannan Wang, Man Zhang, Liangjie Niu, Monica Scali, Weili Huang, Wei Wang
{"title":"Physiological, biochemical and proteomic analyses of root response of maize to short-term osmotic stress","authors":"Nannan Wang, Man Zhang, Liangjie Niu, Monica Scali, Weili Huang, Wei Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03811-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03811-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Drought is a major abiotic stress that adversely impacts on crop productivity and global food security. Proteomics greatly facilitates the study of stress response mechanism in crop plants by identifying new stress-responsive proteins. Currently, most proteomic studies on osmotic stress response in cereal crops, such as maize, have mainly focused on medium to long-term scales, but few studies investigated the early osmotic stress response. In this study, maize roots were subjected to 30 min 10% polyethylene glycol (PEG)-6000 induced osmotic stress, the physiological, biochemical and proteomic changes were analyzed. The results showed that short-term osmotic stress led to the significant increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS, especially O<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup>) level, the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and proline, and the activity of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in maize root tips. Proteomics analysis identified a set of 20 stress-responsive proteins, which were mainly involved in antioxidative stress and energy metabolism (e.g., ATP synthase), and most of them were more abundant under osmotic stress. Obviously, the antioxidant system and energy metabolism pathway play critical roles in the early root response to short-term osmotic stress. Our work provides insights into the mechanisms underlying the early response of plants to osmotic stress. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Diana Vázquez-Lemus, Esmeralda Guadalupe Rodríguez-Cuevas, Alma Alejandra Hernández-Esquivel, Elda Castro-Mercado, Homero Reyes-de la Cruz, Jesús Campos-García, José López-Bucio, Ernesto García-Pineda
{"title":"The growth promotion of Arabidopsis thaliana by Serratia sp. H6 requires the metabolic stress sensor SNF1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1)","authors":"Diana Vázquez-Lemus, Esmeralda Guadalupe Rodríguez-Cuevas, Alma Alejandra Hernández-Esquivel, Elda Castro-Mercado, Homero Reyes-de la Cruz, Jesús Campos-García, José López-Bucio, Ernesto García-Pineda","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03812-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03812-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The SNF1 (sucrose non-fermenting1)-related protein kinase1 (SnRK1) is the plant ortholog of the budding yeast SNF1 and mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). These conserved proteins function as metabolic sensors activated in response to decreasing energy levels. Here, we analyzed the role of SnRK1 in the interaction of <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> with the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) <i>Serratia</i> sp. H6, under low-energy conditions, using molecular and pharmacological approaches. In the absence of sucrose in the plant growth medium, <i>Serratia</i> sp. H6 phytostimulated and promoted the growth of the <i>A. thaliana</i> mutant <i>kin10</i>, which has impaired SnRK1 catalytic activity, as assessed by changes in lateral root number, root length, and fresh weight. Under the same growth conditions, the mammalian AMPK inhibitor dorsomorphin (DM) at 5 μM notably decreased plant growth and cell division in the root meristem, inhibiting the phytostimulation by the rhizobacterium. In contrast, the addition of resveratrol (RSV) at 25 or 50 μM, an activator of mammalian AMPK, in the presence of <i>Serratia</i> sp. H6 and without sucrose, improved cell division in the root meristem, the formation of lateral roots, and the phytostimulatory effects on <i>A. thaliana</i>. RSV was unable to restore phytostimulation in <i>kin10</i> and <i>snrk1.3</i> mutant plants. These pharmacological studies suggest that SnRK1 activity is required for the growth promotion of <i>A. thaliana</i> by the rhizobacterium under low-energy levels. Our findings show that SnRK1 plays a key role in the growth of <i>A. thaliana</i> promoted by <i>Serratia</i> sp. H6, under metabolic stress.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cyanobacteria as a nutri-fertigation option for stimulating fruit quality and yield in Capsicum annuum","authors":"Akanksha Bhardwaj, Radha Prasanna, Ashvinkumar Katral, Ravi Mourthy Nivedha, Deepti Varsha, Shalini Gaur Rudra, Awani Kumar Singh, Sushma Sagar, Yashbir Singh Shivay","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03802-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03802-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The multifaceted roles of cyanobacterium-based preparations as biostimulatory and nutrient-enriching options for soil and produce were evaluated as a new facet of circular economy in Chilli, grown under protected cultivation. Tapping into their potential to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, photosynthetically sequester C, secrete diverse metabolites, the comparative performance of four different aqueous fertigation options, as either soil drench or foliar was undertaken. The treatments included T1: Water (as Control), T2–T3: carrier-based formulations amended with cyanobacterium <i>Anabaena laxa</i> (<i>A. laxa</i>) or cyanobacterial biofilm <i>Anabaena torulosa</i>–<i>Trichoderma</i> sp<i>.</i> (An–Tr) respectively, and T4: 100 µM Fe-EDTA. These treatments were initiated at the pre-flowering stage and continued at weekly intervals up to 2 months. Soil drench application enhanced leaf enzymatic activities; nitrate reductase activity by 13%, carbonic anhydrase activity by 40%, and soil microbiological attributes such as soil dehydrogenase and urease activity by 11 and 19%, respectively, over control. Foliar application of treatments led to 11–12% increments in leaf pigments, 8–9% increase in ascorbic acid, and 38% increase in capsaicin content in fruits. Among treatments soil drench of An–Tr led to 1.3-fold increase in nitrate reductase activity, and number of fruits, whereas <i>A. laxa</i> reported 1.5-fold increase in leaf carbonic anhydrase activity, over control. PCA illustrated significant correlations among the stimulated soil microbiological activities, nutrient availability, fruit yield and quality, with soil available N, total pigments influencing yield and quality attributes positively. Cost–benefit analyses revealed that cyanobacterial treatments as nutri-fertigation options for enhancing plant growth and fruit quality led to significantly higher gross income and twofold greater benefit–cost ratio, highlighting their promise as economically viable biostimulants for chilli in sustainable horticulture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144135521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shirwan Malaie, Latifeh Pourakbar, Sina Siavash Moghaddam, Nabi Khezrinejad, Jianbo Xiao
{"title":"Metabolic adjustment via microbial agents and biochar synergy enhances mercury stress tolerance in Vigna radiata L.","authors":"Shirwan Malaie, Latifeh Pourakbar, Sina Siavash Moghaddam, Nabi Khezrinejad, Jianbo Xiao","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03806-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03806-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Mercury (Hg) as an abiotic stressor poses significant challenges to plant growth. This study investigates the response of <i>Vigna radiata</i> L plant to three levels of Hg stress (0, 20, and 40 mg/L) using a hydroponic system, inoculated with microbial biostimulators. The two-factorial experiment focused on plant growth, total soluble sugars (TSS), and free amino acids. Results indicated a decrease in plant biomass with increasing stress severity. Under moderate stress (20 mg/L Hg), arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) was effective in preserving biomass, while under severe stress (40 mg/L Hg), a combination of biochar, AM, and bacterial biostimulants (BAB) was most effective. The highest biomass was recorded by combined treatment of bacteria and AM (BaAM) although it dropped sharply under stress conditions. Except for BaAM, TSS content increased in all moderate stress treatments, particularly with AM, and was notably enhanced by BAB under severe stress. <i>V. radiata</i> plants generally showed an increase in Proline, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Tryptophan, Asparagine, Glycine, and Valin levels when exposed to Hg stress, whereas Aspartate decreased across all stress treatments. Higher Hg tolerance was linked to greater accumulation of TSS and specific free amino acids like Proline, Phenylalanine, and Asparagine. The interaction with microbial inoculation suggests that <i>V. radiata</i> plants adapt to Hg toxicity by altering their sugar and amino acid profiles, which serve as multifunctional molecules and precursors for stress resistance metabolites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143904681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nanotechnology in viticulture: alleviating lime stress in 1103 Paulsen Rootstock with iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs)","authors":"Selda Daler, Ozkan Kaya, Duran Kaplan","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03805-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03805-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>High lime content in agricultural soils poses a significant challenge to crop production, particularly in viticulture. Due to the persistent and detrimental effects of lime stress on plant growth, the present study investigated the potential of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NPs) to mitigate lime-induced stress in 1103 Paulsen American grapevine rootstock. We examined the effects of Fe₃O₄-NPs (0, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 ppm) under varying lime stress conditions (0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% CaCO<sub>3</sub>). Our findings revealed that increasing lime content progressively inhibited grapevine growth, with significant reductions in shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, shoot length, and leaf number. Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NP application demonstrated pronounced protective effects: 0.1 ppm Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NPs optimized growth under non-stressed conditions, while 1 ppm Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NPs significantly improved plant performance under 60% lime stress. Notably, nanoparticle treatments mitigated oxidative stress by reducing membrane damage, lipid peroxidation, and leaf temperature while maintaining photosynthetic efficiency and osmotic balance. Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NPs demonstrated significant potential in mitigating lime-induced stress in grapevines, with optimal concentrations of 0.1 ppm for low–moderate lime environments and 1 ppm for high lime content areas. These findings provide a targeted nanobiotechnological approach to enhance grapevine resilience in calcareous soils, advancing sustainable viticulture strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11738-025-03805-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143888714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mengjiao Wang, Bianyin Wang, Yajie Liu, Xiao Zhang, Jixun Guo, Tao Zhang, Wenying Zhang, Lianxuan Shi
{"title":"Manipulation of glycine–serine and flavanone metabolism to maintain plasma membrane stability and improve drought tolerance of millet","authors":"Mengjiao Wang, Bianyin Wang, Yajie Liu, Xiao Zhang, Jixun Guo, Tao Zhang, Wenying Zhang, Lianxuan Shi","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03807-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03807-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Drought has become a serious threat to food security and sustainable development. Studying the mechanism of drought tolerance of plants is crucial to develop drought-tolerant crops, which helps to address food security. This study aimed to explore the metabolic pathways associated with drought tolerance in foxtail millet (<i>Setaria italica</i> L.). The roots of drought-tolerant millet variety Zhonggu2 and the common variety An04 were selected for a comparative analysis of the changes in growth, ions, differentially expressed genes and metabolites between the two accessions in response to drought by transcriptomics and metabolomics. Under drought conditions, the root length of both varieties increased significantly (‘Zhonggu2’ > ‘An04’). The contents of K<sup>+</sup>, Ca<sup>2+</sup> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> in Zhonggu2 increased significantly. In phospholipid metabolism, the phospholipase D genes were down-regulated and the contents of inositol and ethanolamine were increased in Zhonggu2. The relative contents of glycine and serine were increased, and the gene encoding serine hydroxymethyltransferase in glycine–serine metabolism were upregulated. In flavanone metabolism, the contents of tyrosine, coumaric acid, naringenin-7-<i>O</i>-glucoside, ferulic acid and vanillic acid were increased and the expression levels of genes encoding 4-coumarate-CoA ligase and shikimate-<i>O</i>-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase were upregulated in the Zhonggu2. Integrated analyses showed that Zhonggu2 prevented the accumulation of reactive oxygen species by promoting glycine–serine metabolism and flavanone metabolism, thereby improving drought resistance. At the same time, Zhonggu2 may also delay the phospholipid decomposition, thereby maintaining the stability of the plasma membrane under drought stress. This study provides important insights for breeding, laying the foundation for future crop genetic improvement.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}