Title : Transcriptome analyses of orange carrot lines in response to drought stress
Abstract:
Drought stress (DS) is a major threat to carrot production in the era of climate change. Additionally, limited studies are available on carrot responses to DS at the transcriptomics level. Keeping in view, the current study was conducted where two contrasting orange carrot lines (B2566B and NB3999) were subjected to two DS levels (85% and 70%) to quantify their morpho-physiological, and biochemical changes. Line B2566B exhibited declined leaf numbers and increased lipid peroxidation (50%) under DS regimes. The root meristematic part of both carrot lines was used for transcriptomic analysis. Physio-biochemical traits in line NB3999 showed its resilience nature to both DS levels (85% and 70%). RNA-Seq analysis was performed for distinguishing genes expressed in both carrot lines, which revealed that 788 genes were upregulated in response to DS in line NB3999 in comparison to B2566B. These RNA-Seq results were further validated via qRT-PCR, which confirmed that genes including UTCH; ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 13-like, MIRS; mitochondrial import receptor subunit, ARP; ankyrin repeat-containing protein At5g02620-like, STP; serine/threonine-protein kinase STY8-like and KDA; 36.4 kDa proline-rich protein-like showed high upregulation in its transcript under drought (70% and 85%). However, two genes PER (peroxidase N1-like) and CYT (cytochrome P450) exhibited downregulation when exposed to DS. This study provided an insight into transcriptional and biochemical changes in orange carrot lines, and results of this study can be further used for abiotic stress tolerant carrot breeding programs.
Audience Take Away:
- Practical Application for Breeders: Breeders can utilize identified genes (e.g., UTCH, MIRS) to develop drought-tolerant carrot varieties, enhancing crop resilience and productivity.
- Educational Resource for Faculty: Faculty can incorporate findings into teaching materials, expanding understanding of transcriptomic responses to drought stress in plant biology courses.
- Efficiency Boost for Crop Designers: Crop designers gain insights to streamline carrot breeding programs, improving the efficiency of developing drought-resistant varieties.
- Enhanced Accuracy in Research: The study contributes valuable data, improving the accuracy of future research in plant stress responses and molecular breeding strategies.
- Wider Impacts on Agro-Industry: Beyond academia, the research benefits agriculture by providing insights that can lead to more sustainable and resilient carrot production systems.
