Closely related desert shrubs may allocate physiological and metabolic responses differently among organs. We integrated physiological measurements and untargeted LC–MS metabolomics to compare the leaves and roots of Reaumuria soongorica and Reaumuria kaschgarica collected from the same arid desert site. A 2 × 2 factorial analysis detected significant species × tissue interactions for superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents, and the K/Na mass concentration ratio. The leaves of R. soongorica had higher catalase activity and malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents than the roots. In contrast, the roots of R. kaschgarica had higher superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, hydrogen peroxide content, and K/Na ratio than the leaves. A total of 2,324 and 2,308 metabolites were detected in positive- and negative-ion modes, respectively, and principal component analysis separated the four species–tissue groups. Pairwise comparisons revealed substantial organ- and species-associated differences in metabolite abundance. KEGG pathway enrichment highlighted differences involving amino acid, flavonoid, sugar, nucleotide-sugar, and carbon metabolism. Exploratory Spearman correlation networks revealed covariation between selected metabolites and physiological indicators. Together, these findings reveal contrasting organ-associated physiological and metabolic patterns in the two Reaumuria species and provide a basis for further investigation of their responses to arid environments.
Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an important source of plant-based protein and micronutrients. However, its productivity is increasingly threatened by concurrent drought and heat stress under changing climatic conditions. To elucidate the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying tolerance to combined water-deficit and heat (WD+HT) stress, two contrasting lentil genotypes, drought-tolerant PDL-1 and sensitive PSL-9, were evaluated under field and controlled-environment conditions. Under field conditions, terminal WD+HT stress significantly increased percent flower abortion by 52
Phytochromes are red/far-red light photoreceptors involved in plant growth, photomorphogenesis and developmental adaptation. Although phytochrome-mediated signaling pathways have been extensively investigated in model plant systems, limited information is available regarding the tissue-specific and developmental expression of phytochrome genes in cotton. In the present study, the expression dynamics of phytochrome genes (GhPHYA1, GhPHYA2, GhPHYB, GhPHYC and GhPHYE) were systematically analyzed across vegetative tissues, reproductive organs and fibre and boll developmental stages of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cv. MCU-5 using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Comparative expression profiling revealed pronounced spatial and temporal variation among phytochrome family members. GhPHYA1 and GhPHYA2 exhibited predominant transcript accumulation in juvenile vegetative tissues, floral organs, ovules at anthesis and early fibre developmental stages, whereas GhPHYB showed significantly higher expression in mature vegetative tissues and later stages associated with secondary cell wall deposition and fibre maturation. In contrast, GhPHYC and GhPHYE displayed relatively stable expression in all the tissues. Heatmap-based visualization further demonstrated spatio-temporal expression of phytochrome gene homologs across different tissues and developmental stages. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the cotton PHY family retains the canonical angiosperm subfamily organization, and promoter cis-element analysis identified light, hormone, stress and development-responsive motifs across all GhPHY genes. These findings establish a comprehensive, integrated expression atlas of cotton phytochrome genes, providing a foundational resource for future functional and regulatory studies of light-mediated development in cotton.
Sorghum is an indispensable staple crop and an excellent model for climate resilience. It harbors a vast array of metabolites that undergo rapid, highly coordinated reprogramming in response to environmental stresses. Elucidating this diversity and its dynamics is crucial to identifying the functional indicators of its stress tolerance. In this review, we discuss metabolomic studies that elucidate how sorghum’s protective mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses are orchestrated at the metabolic level. The results suggest that the tolerance to abiotic stresses in sorghum is governed by primary metabolic cascades and specialized secondary metabolites, which are systematically coordinated by phytohormones. In contrast, the defense strategy against biotic stress relies heavily on secondary metabolites and endogenous signaling hormones. Further, we highlight critical knowledge gaps in the field and outline future research directions to harness the sorghum metabolomic repertoire for climate-smart agriculture.
