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Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 20335

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hongjian Wan

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Guest Editor

1. State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
2. Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Interests: abiotic/biotic stresses; gene/gene family evolution; metabolism of crop quality under adverse conditions
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Dr. Si Ma

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College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: abiotic stress-salinity and drought; biotic stress- nematode infection; sugar metabolism; sugar transporters
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Given the ever-growing world population and considering the climate change crisis that is unfolding, we strongly believe that it is timely to discuss challenges and opportunities for the effect of stress conditions on crop yield. As sessile organisms, plants must cope with abiotic stress (soil salinity, drought, and extreme temperatures) and biotic stress (nematode, pathogenic bacteria infection). In addition, the efficiency of water and fertilizer systems also plays a crucial role in improving crop yield. With this Special Issue, we aim to compile the latest knowledge of plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses and to highlight the shortcomings and knowledge gaps of our understanding of the underlying processes. Based on this, we will lay the ground for future research to contribute to this important field of plant science.

Prof. Dr. Hongjian Wan
Dr. Si Ma
Guest Editors

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Keywords

abiotic stress
biotic stress
evolution
sugar metabolism
fertigation
crop yield
crop quality

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3728 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Divergent Retention of Sucrose Metabolism Genes after Whole Genome Triplication in the Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

by Yang Xu, Zhuping Yao, Yuan Cheng, Meiying Ruan, Qingjing Ye, Rongqing Wang, Guozhi Zhou, Jia Liu, Chaochao Liu and Hongjian Wan

Plants 2023, 12(24), 4145; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244145 - 13 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1217

Abstract

Sucrose, the primary carbon transport mode and vital carbohydrate for higher plants, significantly impacts plant growth, development, yield, and quality formation. Its metabolism involves three key steps: synthesis, transport, and degradation. Two genome triplication events have occurred in Solanaceae, which have resulted in massive gene loss. In this study, a total of 48 and 65 genes from seven sucrose metabolism gene families in Vitis vinifera and Solanum lycopersicum were identified, respectively. The number of members comprising the different gene families varied widely. And there were significant variations in the pattern of gene duplication and loss in the tomato following two WGD events. Tandem duplication is a major factor in the expansion of the SWEET and Acid INV gene families. All the genes are irregularly distributed on the chromosomes, with the majority of the genes showing collinearity with the grape, particularly the CIN family. And the seven gene families were subjected to a purifying selection. The expression patterns of the different gene families exhibited notable variations. This study presents basic information about the sucrose metabolism genes in the tomato and grape, and paves the way for further investigations into the impact of SCT events on the phylogeny, gene retention duplication, and function of sucrose metabolism gene families in the tomato or Solanaceae, and the adaptive evolution of the tomato. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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13 pages, 3548 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gene Co-Expression Analysis Reveals the Transcriptome Changes and Hub Genes of Fructan Metabolism in Garlic under Drought Stress

by Qianyi Zhou, Haihong Sun, Guoli Zhang, Jian Wang and Jie Tian

Plants 2023, 12(19), 3357; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193357 - 22 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1269

Abstract

Drought has become a serious environmental factor that affects the growth and yield of plants. Fructan, as an important storage compound in garlic, plays an important role in drought tolerance. Genomic changes in plants under drought stress clarify the molecular mechanism of plants’ responses to stress. Therefore, we used RNA-seq to determine the transcriptomic changes in garlic under drought stress and identified the key module related to fructan metabolism by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the garlic transcriptome under drought stress over a time course (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 d). Drought significantly induces changes in gene expression. The number of specifically expressed genes were 1430 (3 d), 399 (6 d), 313 (9 d), 351 (12 d), and 1882 (15 d), and only 114 genes responded at each time point. The number of upregulated DEGs was higher than the number of downregulated DEGs. Gene ontology and a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that garlic was more likely to cause changes in carbohydrate metabolism pathways under drought stress. Fructan content measurements showed that drought stress significantly induced fructan accumulation in garlic. To determine whether there were modules involved in the transcriptional regulation of fructan content in garlic, we further analyzed the genes related to fructan metabolism using WGCNA. They were enriched in two modules, with F-box protein and GADPH as hub genes, which are involved in garlic fructan metabolism in response to drought stress. These results provide important insights for the future research and cultivation of drought-tolerant garlic varieties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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16 pages, 2236 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Glycine Betaine on Nitrogen and Polyamine Metabolisms, Expression of Glycoside-Related Biosynthetic Enzymes, and K/Na Balance of Stevia under Salt Stress

by Abazar Ghorbani, Vali Ollah Ghasemi-Omran and Moxian Chen

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1628; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081628 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 1828

Abstract

The beneficial role of glycine betaine (GB) in the adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses is well known; therefore, the study of physiological and molecular responses induced by exogenous GB under NaCl stress can provide a suitable reference for the application of this compound to enhance the adaptation of plants to salinity. The present study was conducted under in vitro conditions to evaluate the effect of GB (25 and 50 mM) on the growth, physiological, and molecular traits of Stevia rebaudiana during NaCl toxicity (50 mM). The results showed that applying NaCl treatment increased Na accumulation, induced oxidative stress, and disrupted N metabolism and K/Na homeostasis, which, as a result, decreased the stevia plant’s growth and biomass. However, application of GB improved the adaptation of NaCl-stressed plants by improving N metabolism and modulating the metabolism of polyamines. By increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, GB diminished oxidative stress, protected the plasma membrane, and restored photosynthetic pigments under NaCl toxicity. By reducing Na accumulation and increasing K accumulation, GB maintained the K/Na balance and reduced the effects of toxicity caused by the high Na concentration in stevia leaves. GB increased the leaf accumulation of rebaudioside A in NaCl-stressed plants by modulating the expression of genes (KAH, UGT74G1, UGT76G1, and UGT85C2) involved in the sugar compounds of the stevia plants. Our results provide a broad understanding of GB-induced responses in NaCl-stressed plants, which can help increase our knowledge of the role of GB in the defense mechanisms of plants under abiotic stresses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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19 pages, 2145 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Responses of Aroma Related Metabolic Attributes of Opisthopappus longilobus Flowers to Environmental Changes

by Zhixia Liu, Yafei Lan, Hao Zhang, Weili Hao, Shan He, Li Liu, Xiaolong Feng, Qiyang Qie, Min Chai and Yiling Wang

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1592; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081592 - 10 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1784

Abstract

Opisthopappus longilobus (Opisthopappus) and its descendant species, Opisthopappus taihangensis, commonly thrive on the Taihang Mountains of China. Being typical cliff plants, both O. longilobus and O. taihangensis release unique aromatics. To determine the potential differentiation and environmental response patterns, comparative metabolic analysis was performed on O. longilobus wild flower (CLW), O. longilobus transplant flower (CLT), and O. taihangensis wild flower (TH) groups. Significant differences in the metabolic profiles were found, not within O. longilobus, but between O. longilobus and O. taihangensis flowers. Within these metabolites, twenty-eight substances related to the scents were obtained (one alkene, two aldehydes, three esters, eight phenols, three acids, three ketones, three alcohols, and five flavonoids), of which eugenol and chlorogenic were the primary aromatic molecules and enriched in the phenylpropane pathway. Network analysis showed that close relationships occurred among identified aromatic substances. The variation coefficient (CV) of aromatic metabolites in O. longilobus was lower than O. taihangensis. The aromatic related compounds were significantly correlated with the lowest temperatures in October and in December of the sampled sites. The results indicated that phenylpropane, particularly eugenol and chlorogenic, played important roles in the responses of O. longilobus species to environmental changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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15 pages, 1371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Foliar Application of Hydrogen Peroxide Macroconcentrations on Growth Parameters, Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity in the Leaves and Seeds of Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.

by Roberto Augusto Ferriz-Martínez, Nayeli Espinosa-Villarreal, Jorge Luis Chávez-Servín, Adán Mercado-Luna, Karina de la Torre-Carbot, Juan Serrano-Arellano, Carlos Saldaña and Teresa García-Gasca

Plants 2023, 12(7), 1499; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12071499 - 29 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1990

Abstract

Amaranth has many interesting features, both nutritional and otherwise, that make it attractive as a food crop. Plants grown in greenhouses have higher yields but lower nutritional value compared to those grown in open fields. This prompted an interest in studying viable elicitors for the production of amaranth. Small hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentrations for foliar spraying from 0 to 18 mM have been used in greenhouse amaranth cultivation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of H₂O₂ megadoses on growth parameters, total phenolic compounds, condensed tannins, anthocyanins, and the antioxidant capacity of leaves and seeds of amaranth grown in a greenhouse setting. The seed of the Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. species was used. The concentrations of H₂O₂ analyzed were 0, 125, 250 and 400 mM, with 11 applications throughout the growing cycle. The variable data were subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a Tukey’s post hoc test (95% CI, p < 0.05). The results on chlorophyll, growth parameters and proximal chemical analysis showed no statistical difference between the control group versus the treatment groups. A greater number of favorable changes in the different variables studied were observed with the 125 mM H₂O₂ treatment, including the increase in antioxidant capacity measured by FRAP. The seed showed a considerable increase in TFC with all treatments and responded better to the 250 mM H₂O₂ treatment in the case of DPPH (an increase of 30%) and TPC (an increase of 44%). A 28% increase in anthocyanin content was observed with the treatment of 400 mM H₂O₂. The use of H₂O₂ may be an appropriate strategy to enhance the production of antioxidant compounds in amaranth without affecting growth or its basic proximal chemical composition. More studies are required in this regard. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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16 pages, 3536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Screening and Verification of Reference Genes for Analysis of Gene Expression in Garlic (Allium sativum L.) under Cold and Drought Stress

by Qizhang Wang, Chunqian Guo, Shipeng Yang, Qiwen Zhong and Jie Tian

Plants 2023, 12(4), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040763 - 8 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1835

Abstract

The principal objective of this study was to screen and verify reference genes appropriate for gene expression evaluation during plant growth and development under distinct growth conditions. Nine candidate reference genes were screened based on garlic transcriptome sequence data. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression levels of the aforementioned reference genes in specific tissues under drought and cold stress. Then, geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and ReFinder were used to consider the consistency of the expression levels of candidate reference genes. Finally, the stress-responsive gene expression of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) was quantitatively evaluated to confirm the chosen reference genes. Our results indicated that there were variations in the abundance and stability of nine reference gene transcripts underneath cold and drought stress, among which ACT and UBC-E2 had the highest transcript abundance, and 18S rRNA and HIS3 had the lowest transcript abundance. UBC and UBC-E2 were the most stably expressed genes throughout all samples; UBC and UBC-E2 were the most stably expressed genes during cold stress, and ACT and UBC were the most stably expressed genes under drought stress. The most stably expressed genes in roots, pseudostems, leaves, and cloves were EF1, ACT, HIS3, UBC, and UBC-E2, respectively, while GAPDH was the most unstable gene during drought and cold stress conditions and in exclusive tissues. Taking the steady reference genes UBC-E2, UBC, and ACT as references during drought and cold stress, the reliability of the expression levels was further demonstrated by detecting the expression of AsAPX. Our work thereby offers a theoretical reference for the evaluation of gene expression in garlic in various tissues and under stress conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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16 pages, 1273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cd Phytoextraction Potential in Halophyte Salicornia fruticosa: Salinity Impact

by Fawzy Mahmoud Salama, Arwa Abdulkreem AL-Huqail, Mohammed Ali and Amany H. A. Abeed

Plants 2022, 11(19), 2556; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192556 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 1989

Abstract

The phytoextraction potential of halophytes has been broadly recognized. Nevertheless, the impact of salt on the accumulation proprieties of cadmium (Cd) in different halophytic species, likely linked to their salt tolerance, remains unclear. A hydroponic culture was used to investigate the impact of salinity on Cd tolerance as well as accumulation in the distinct halophyte Salicornia fruticosa (S. fruticosa). The plant was subjected to 0, 25, and 50 μg L⁻¹ Cd (0-Cd, L-Cd, and H-Cd, respectively), with or without 50, 100, and 200 mM NaCl in the nutrient solution. Data demonstrated that Cd individually induced depletion in biomass accumulation. NaCl amplified the Cd tolerance induced by enhanced biomass gaining and root length, which was associated with adequate transpiration, leaf succulence, elevated levels of ascorbic acid (ASA), reduced glutathione (GSH), phytochelatins (PCs), and proline as well as antioxidant enzymatic capacity via upregulation of peroxidases (PO), glutathione peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. All Cd treatments decreased the uptake of calcium (Ca) as well as potassium (K) and transport to the shoots; however, sodium (Na) accumulation in the shoots was not influenced by Cd. Consequently, S. fruticosa retained its halophytic properties. Based on the low transfer efficiency and high enrichment coefficient at 0–50 mM NaCl, an examination of Cd accumulation characteristics revealed that phytostabilization was the selected phytoremediation strategy. At 100–200 mM NaCl, the high aboveground Cd-translocation and high absorption efficiency encourage phytoremediation via phytoextraction. The results revealed that S. fruticosa might be also potentially utilized to renovate saline soils tainted with heavy metals (HMs) because of its maximized capacity for Cd tolerance magnified by NaCl. Cd accumulation in S. fruticosa is mainly depending on the NaCl concentration. Future studies may be established for other heavy metal pollutants screening, to detect which could be extracted and/or stabilized by the S. fruticosa plant; moreover, other substrates presenting high electrical conductivity should be identified for reclamation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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15 pages, 1869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compost Addition Attenuates the Negative Impacts of High Soil Mineral Nitrogen Levels on Rhizosphere Microbial Characteristics and Enhances Cucumber Growth in Monoculture Systems

by Yune Cao, Yanming Gao, Yongqiang Tian and Jianshe Li

Plants 2022, 11(13), 1621; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11131621 - 21 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1485

Abstract

Due to the increase in the human population, it is necessary to seek efficient methods of increasing crop productivity and, simultaneously, sustaining the soil. One way is to grow high demand crops continuously without rotating with other crops. This practice is often accompanied by increased rates of fertilizer application that can affect efficient nitrogen (N) cycling in the plant rhizosphere soil which, in turn, affects both plant growth and environmental pollution. In the present study, twelve various cucumber soils were selected from monoculture systems presenting different cropping years and divided into two groups including soils with relatively high mineral N (HMN) content (N > 100 mg kg⁻¹ soil) and those with a lower mineral N (LMN) content (N < 100 mg kg⁻¹ soil). All soils were amended with the addition of compost alone or in combination with bacterial inoculation to evaluate their effects on plant growth, microbial numbers, N mineralization, and N cycling genes. In general, the HMN soils increased (p < 0.05) net N mineralization (NNM) but did not statistically (p > 0.05) affect plant biomass compared to the LMN soils; however, compost addition increased both NNM and plant biomass in the HMN soils. In addition, the HMN soils had higher fungal pathogen numbers (FPNs) but lower total microbial biomass (TMB) and bacterial numbers (BNs) compared to the LMN soils; however, compost addition decreased FPNs but increased TMB and BNs in the HMN soils (all p < 0.05). Plant biomass was positively related to TMB, BN and NNM but was negatively related to FPN (all p < 0.05). In summary, compost addition reduced the high mineral N levels’ adverse effects on the rhizosphere soil and plant growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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18 pages, 1224 KiB

Open AccessReview

Pigment Biosynthesis and Molecular Genetics of Fruit Color in Pepper

by Linlin Wang, Yangmin Zhong, Jia Liu, Ruifang Ma, Yeminzi Miao, Wenqi Chen, Jiaqiu Zheng, Xin Pang and Hongjian Wan

Plants 2023, 12(11), 2156; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112156 - 30 May 2023

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5916

Abstract

Pepper, as a vegetable crop with a wide cultivation area worldwide, besides being a significant condiment and food, also has a momentous use for chemistry, medicine, and other industries. Pepper fruits are rich in various pigments, such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and capsanthin, which have important healthcare and economic value. Since various pigments are continuously metabolized during the development of pepper fruits, peppers exhibit an abundant fruit-colored phenotype in both the mature and immature periods. In recent years, great progress has been made in the study of pepper fruit color development, but the developmental mechanisms are still unclear systematically dissected in terms of pigment, biosynthesis, and regulatory genes. The article outlines the biosynthetic pathways of three important pigments: chlorophyll, anthocyanin, and carotenoid in pepper and the various enzymes involved in these pathways. The genetics and molecular regulation mechanisms of different fruit colors in immature and mature peppers were also systematically described. The objective of this review is to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of pigments biosynthesis in pepper. This information will provide theoretical basis for the breeding of high-quality colored pepper varieties in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Metabolic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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