Heterogeneous expression of stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase genes SAD1 and SAD2 from Linum usitatissimum enhances seed oleic acid accumulation and seedling cold and drought tolerance in Brassica napus

Flax(Linum usitatissimum L.)is a versatile crop and its seeds are a major source of unsaturated fatty acids.Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase(SAD)is a dehydrogenase enzyme that plays a key role in oleic acid biosynthesis as well as responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.However,the function of SAD orthologs from L.usitatissimum has not been assessed.Here,we found that two LuSAD genes,LuSAD1 and LuSAD2,are present in the genome of L.usitatissimum cultivar‘Longya 10’.Heterogeneous expression of either LuSAD1 or LuSAD2 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in higher contents of total fatty acids and oleic acid in the seeds.Interestingly,ectopic expression of LuSAD2 in A.thaliana caused altered plant architecture.Similarly,the overexpression of either LuSAD1 or LuSAD2 in Brassica napus also resulted in increased contents of total fatty acids and oleic acid in the seeds.Furthermore,we demonstrated that either LuSAD1 or LuSAD2 enhances seedling resistance to cold and drought stresses by improving antioxidant enzyme activity and nonenzymatic antioxidant levels,as well as reducing membrane damage.These findings not only broaden our knowledge of the LuSAD functions in plants,but also offer promising targets for improving the quantity and quality of oil,and the abiotic stress tolerance of oil-producing crops,through molecular manipulation.

Leaf Morphology Genes SRL1 and RENL1 Co-Regulate Cellulose Synthesis and Affect Rice Drought Tolerance

The morphological development of rice(Oryza sativa L.)leaves is closely related to plant architecture,physiological activities,and resistance.However,it is unclear whether there is a co-regulatory relationship between the morphological development of leaves and adaptation to drought environment.In this study,a drought-sensitive,roll-enhanced,and narrow-leaf mutant(renl1)was induced from a semi-rolled leaf mutant(srl1)by ethyl methane sulfonate(EMS),which was obtained from Nipponbare(NPB)through EMS.Map-based cloning and functional validation showed that RENL1 encodes a cellulose synthase,allelic to NRL1/OsCLSD4.The RENL1 mutation resulted in reduced vascular bundles,vesicular cells,cellulose,and hemicellulose contents in cell walls,diminishing the water-holding capacity of leaves.In addition,the root system of the renl1 mutant was poorly developed and its ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species(ROS)was decreased,leading to an increase in ROS after drought stress.Meanwhile,genetic results showed that RENL1 and SRL1 synergistically regulated cell wall components.Our results revealed a theoretical basis for further elucidating the molecular regulation mechanism of cellulose on rice drought tolerance,and provided a new genetic resource for enhancing the synergistic regulation network of plant type and stress resistance,thereby realizing simultaneous improvement of multiple traits in rice.

The ZOS7-MYB60 module confers drought-stress tolerance in rice

Shanlan upland rice is an important landrace resource with high drought stress(DS)tolerance.Despite its importance,genes responsible for yield in Shanlan upland rice have yet to be discovered.Our previous study identified a drought-responsive zinc finger protein,ZOS7,as highly expressed in Shanlandao upland rice.However,the function of this gene in controlling drought tolerance remains largely unexplored.In this study,we found that overexpressing ZOS7,a drought-responsive zinc finger protein,in rice increased biomass and yield under drought stress.Co-overexpressing ZOS7 and MYB60,encoding a protein with which ZOS7 interacted,intensified the yield increase.ZOS7 and MYB60 appear to form a module that confers drought tolerance by regulating stomatal density and wax biosynthesis.The ZOS7-MYB60module could be used in molecular breeding for drought tolerance in rice.

Overexpression of the peroxidase gene ZmPRX1 increases maize seedling drought tolerance by promoting root development and lignification

Drought is a main abiotic stress factor hindering plant growth,development,and crop productivity.Therefore,it is crucial to understand the mechanisms by which plants cope with drought stress.Here,the function of the maize peroxidase gene ZmPRX1 in drought stress tolerance was investigated by measurement of its expression in response to drought treatment both in a ZmPRX1 overexpression line and a mutant line.The higher root lignin accumulation and seedling survival rate of the overexpression line than that of the wild type or mutant support a role for ZmPRX1 in maize drought tolerance by regulating root development and lignification.Additionally,yeast one-hybrid,Dule luciferase and ChIP-qPCR assays showed that ZmPRX1 is negatively regulated by a nuclear-localized ZmWRKY86 transcription factor.The gene could potentially be used for breeding of drought-tolerant cultivars.

Drought-Tolerant Rice at Molecular Breeding Eras:An Emerging Reality

Rice(Oryza sativa L.)stands as the most significantly influential food crop in the developing world,with its total production and yield stability affected by environmental stress.Drought stress impacts about 45%of the world’s rice area,affecting plants at molecular,biochemical,physiological,and phenotypic levels.The conventional breeding method,predominantly employing single pedigree selection,has been widely utilized in breeding numerous drought-tolerant rice varieties since the Green Revolution.With rapid progress in plant molecular biology,hundreds of drought-tolerant QTLs/genes have been identified and tested in rice crops under both indoor and field conditions.Several genes have been introgressed into elite germplasm to develop commercially accepted drought-tolerant varieties,resulting in the development of several drought-tolerant rice varieties through marker-assisted selection and genetically engineered approaches.This review provides up-to-date information on proof-of-concept genes and breeding methods in the molecular breeding era,offering guidance for rice breeders to develop drought-tolerant rice varieties.

Assessment of molecular markers and marker-assisted selection for drought tolerance in barley(Hordeum vulgare L.)

This review updates the present status of the field of molecular markers and marker-assisted selection(MAS),using the example of drought tolerance in barley.The accuracy of selected quantitative trait loci(QTLs),candidate genes and suggested markers was assessed in the barley genome cv.Morex.Six common strategies are described for molecular marker development,candidate gene identification and verification,and their possible applications in MAS to improve the grain yield and yield components in barley under drought stress.These strategies are based on the following five principles:(1)Molecular markers are designated as genomic‘tags’,and their‘prediction’is strongly dependent on their distance from a candidate gene on genetic or physical maps;(2)plants react differently under favourable and stressful conditions or depending on their stage of development;(3)each candidate gene must be verified by confirming its expression in the relevant conditions,e.g.,drought;(4)the molecular marker identified must be validated for MAS for tolerance to drought stress and improved grain yield;and(5)the small number of molecular markers realized for MAS in breeding,from among the many studies targeting candidate genes,can be explained by the complex nature of drought stress,and multiple stress-responsive genes in each barley genotype that are expressed differentially depending on many other factors.

The BEL1-like transcription factor GhBLH5-A05 participates in cotton response to drought stress

Drought stress impairs crop growth and development.BEL1-like family transcription factors may be involved in plant response to drought stress,but little is known of the molecular mechanism by which these proteins regulate plant response and defense to drought stress.Here we show that the BEL1-like transcription factor GhBLH5-A05 functions in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum)response and defense to drought stress.Expression of GhBLH5-A05 in cotton was induced by drought stress.Overexpression of GhBLH5-A05 in both Arabidopsis and cotton increased drought tolerance,whereas silencing GhBLH5-A05 in cotton resulted in elevated sensitivity to drought stress.GhBLH5-A05 binds to cis elements in the promoters of GhRD20-A09 and GhDREB2C-D05 to activate the expression of these genes.GhBLH5-A05 interacted with the KNOX transcription factor GhKNAT6-A03.Co-expression of GhBLH5-A05 and GhKNAT6-A03 increased the transcription of GhRD20-A09 and GhDREB2C-D05.We conclude that GhBLH5-A05 acts as a regulatory factor with GhKNAT6-A03 functioning in cotton response to drought stress by activating the expression of the drought-responsive genes GhRD20-A09 and GhDREB2C-D05.

Physiological Analysis of Drought Resistance of Seven Cultivars Spring Wheat in Northern Regions of China

In order to determine the physiological mechanism of drought resistance of northern wheat in China,six drought resistant wheat and one sensitivity to drought wheat were planted in pots.They were subjected to drought treatment and normal water when the plants grew to the 3-leaf stage.Samples were collected at 10,20,30,and 40 days after the drought treatment,respectively.The electrical conductivity,photosynthetic parameters,chlorophyll fluorescence parameters,sugar content,proline content,protein content,and active oxygen scavenging enzyme activity of the plants were detected,and the agronomic traits of the wheat varieties were investigated at maturity.The results indicated that the phenotype and yield-related factors of Darkhan 144 changed little under the drought stress.The relative electrical conductivity of Kefeng 6 and Darkhan 166 was lower under the drought stress,and their cell membrane was less damaged.The Darkhan 144 and Darkhan 166 had higher drought resistance coefficients,and were the wheat varieties with stronger drought resistance.However,the physiological mechanisms of drought resistance of these three wheat were different:Darkhan 144 maintained a higher photosynthetic activity under the drought stress;Darkhan 166 maintained a higher protein content,photosynthetic activity and active oxygen scavenging enzyme activity.In addition,other drought-resistant varieties Kefeng 6,Kefeng 10 and Longmai 26 had a higher content of osmoregulatory substances under the drought stress.

OsMas1,a novel maspardin protein gene,confers tolerance to salt and drought stresses by regulating ABA signaling in rice

Drought and salt stresses,the major environmental abiotic stresses in agriculture worldwide,affect plant growth,crop productivity,and quality.Therefore,developing crops with higher drought and salt tolerance is highly desirable.This study reported the isolation,biological function,and molecular characterization of a novel maspardin gene,OsMas1,from rice.The OsMas1 protein was localized to the cytoplasm.The expression levels of OsMas1 were up-regulated under mannitol,PEG6000,NaCl,and abscisic acid(ABA) treatments in rice.The OsMas1 gene was introduced into the rice cultivar Zhonghua 11(wild type,WT).OsMas1-overexpression(OsMas1-OE) plants exhibited significantly enhanced salt and drought tolerance;in contrast,OsMas1-interference(OsMas1-RNAi) plants exhibited decreased tolerance to salt and drought stresses,compared with WT.OsMas1-OE plants exhibited enhanced hypersensitivity,while OsMas1-RNAi plants showed less sensitivity to exogenous ABA treatment at both germination and post-germination stages.ABA,proline and K+ contents and superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),peroxidase(POD),and photosynthesis activities were significantly increased.In contrast,malonaldehyde(MDA),hydrogen peroxide(H2O2),superoxide anion radical(O2-··),and Na+ contents were significantly decreased in OsMas1-OE plants compared with OsMas1-RNAi and WT plants.Overexpression of OsMas1 up-regulated the genes involved in ABA signaling,proline biosynthesis,reactive oxygen species(ROS)-scavenging system,photosynthesis,and ion transport under salt and drought stresses.Our results indicate that the OsMas1 gene improves salt and drought tolerance in rice,which may serve as a candidate gene for enhancing crop resistance to abiotic stresses.

Chickpea C2H2-Type Zinc Finger Protein ZF2 is a Positive Regulator in Drought Response in Arabidopsis

Drought is a major abiotic stress limiting agricultural crops production worldwide.In our study,we isolated a novel C2H2-type zinc finger protein gene ZF2 from chickpea.ZF2 consisted of 232 amino acids with two QALGGH motifs in Cys2/His2 zinc finger domain.Transient expression analysis of ZF2:GFP fusion protein showed that ZF2 was a nuclear localized protein.In the yeast assay system,the full-length of ZF2 did not show transcriptional activation.Expression of ZF2 gene was enhanced by treatments of several abiotic stresses and phytohormones.The promoter region of ZF2 contained multiple stress-and hormone-related cis-elements.Overexpression of ZF2 in Arabidopsis significantly improved the root length and fresh weight at seedling stage and enhanced the survival rates and proline content under drought treatment.These results indicated that ZF2 functioned as a positive regulator in drought response.

Selection of Cowpea [(Vigna unguiculata (L.) WALP] Genotypes for Drought Tolerance Using Selection Indices

Cowpea [(Vigna unguiculata (L.)] is one of the most important arid legumes cultivated for pulse and forage production. However, in cowpea, not much is known about the base index selection method in breeding for drought tolerance. Consequently, the present study has been conducted to: 1) evaluate the yield performance of cowpea genotypes under artificial drought and well-watered condition;2) develop a base index using multiple traits for ranking genotype performance. The experiment was a 25 × 2 factorial laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment was carried out in the screen house at the Department of Horticulture at KNUST. The result showed that KPR1-96-73, Simbo, CZ06-4-16, Wilibaly and Agyenkwa were high yielding in well-water condition while Ghana Shoba, Sangaraka, NKetewade, Ghana-Shoni and Korobalen were high yielding genotypes in water stress condition. The average yield reduction was 60.6% for grain respectively. The biplot displays revealed four groups among the genotypes tested which was based on their yielding capacity and drought tolerance. In cluster B high yielding and drought tolerant genotypes were identified, high yielding and drought susceptible have been identified in cluster A, low yielding and drought tolerant in cluster D, and lastly low yielding and drought susceptible in cluster C. Genotypes in cluster B, were the best due to the fact that it combines high yield and tolerance to drought. They were Ghana Shoni, Nketewade, Sangaraka and Ghana shoba. These genotypes might be suitably employed in further drought tolerance breeding program of cowpea.

Screening of Drought-tolerant Brassica napus L.Varieties and Analysis on Their Physiologic and Biochemical Variations under Drought Stress

[Objective] The aim of this study was to screen drought-tolerant Brassica napus L. germplasm resources by analyzing their physiological and biochemical changes under drought stress. [Method] Forty varieties of B. napus varieties were cultured under PEG-6000 osmotic stress and extreme drought stress in pots, re- spectively. Then, the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoid, proline, malondialdehyde （MDA）, soluble sugar, soluble protein, and the activities of superoxide dismutase （SOD）, catalase（CAT）, peroxidase（POD） were measured under drought stress. [Result] Sever- al drought-tolerant varieties of B. napus were screened out： YAU200908, Xiangyou No.15, YAU200903, YAU200907, YAU200906 and YAU200904. Physiological and biochemical analysis showed that, the contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid de- creased with drought stress increasing; the contents of proline, soluble sugar, solu- ble protein, MDA and the activities of SOD,CAT, POD raised with drought stress in- creasing. [Conclusion] In the rapeseed varieties with stronger drought tolerance, the decrease in carotenoid content and the increase in proline content, soluble sugar content, MDA content, SOD activity, CAT activity were more obvious, so all these physiological and biochemical indices can be used to evaluate the drought tolerance of rapeseed.

Effects of Drought Stress and Re-watering on Growth and Yield of Different Maize Varieties at Tasseling Stage

[Objective] The aim was to explore the response of different maize vari- eties in Guangxi to drought stress and re-watering at tasseling stage, so as to pro- vide reference for study on drought resistance mechanism, breeding of drought-re- sistant varieties and selection of maize varieties for fall sowing. [Method] At the tasseling stage, total five degrees of drought stress （4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 d） and corresponding re-watering after drought stress were simulated by a tub planting ex- periment in greenhouse for five different maize varieties （Guidan 0810, Dika 008, Zhengda 619, Chenyu 969, Guidan 901）. Normal watering was set as the control. Sampling was carried out on Day 1 after drought stress and on Day 15 after re- watering, and the secondary root number, maximum root length, green leaf number, root dry weight and shoot dry weight were measured. At the harvest time, the ear yield per plant was measured. With yield as the basis, the drought resistance coef- ficient and drought resistance index were calculated. Cluster analysis was conducted for drought resistance coefficient. [Result] The shoot dry weight, root dry weight, secondary root number, maximum root length and green leaf number of maize in the treatment groups decreased compared with those in the control group. The ratio of each index between the treatment and control groups declined with the extension of drought stress. After re-watering, the re-growth amount of each index all de- creased as the stress time prolonged. Post-re-watering over compensation effect oc- curred in none of the indices except the maximum root length, after 4 days of drought stress. Under drought stress, the reductions of all the indices of Guidan 0810, Dika 008 and Zhengda 619 were smaller than those of Chenyu 969 and Guidan 901. After re-watering, the re-growth abilities of Guidan 0810, Dika 008 and Zhengda 619 were stronger than those of Chenyu 969 and Guidan 901. The drought resistance coefficients and drought resistance indexes of Guidan 0810, Dika 008 and Zhengda 619 were all greater than those of Chenyu 969 and Guidan 901. The results of drought resistance coefficient cluster analysis showed that the five maize varieties were classified into two groups： Guidan 0810, Dika 008 and Zheng- da 619 had strong drought resistance, while Guidan 901 and Chenyu 969 had weak drought resistance. [Conclusion] The root and shoot growth of Guidan 0810, Dika 008 and Zhengda 619 was slightly affected by drought stress during the tasseling period, and they restored the growth rapidly after re-watering, thus ensuring high biomass and yield. Therefore, Guidan 0810, Dika 008 and Zhengda 619 can be promoted as drought-resistant autumn maize varieties in Guangxi.

Correlations between Drought Resistance and Shoot Traits of Mid-season Hybrid Rice

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the correlations between the drought tolerance and plant traits of hybrid rice, so as to provide theoretical basis for the breeding of drought-tolerant rice varieties. [Method] In the field experiment in 2011, 30 hybrid rice cultivars were grown under three different conditions： drought at til ering stage, drought at panicle initiation stage and control （keeping shal ow wa-ter during the whole growth period）. Then, the main plant traits were measured, and the related drought tolerance indices were calculated. In 2012, 16 hybrid rice culti-vars were grown in pots under drought and normal water conditions respectively. And their main plant traits were measured, and the related drought tolerance indices were also calculated. [Result] The water content in soil under drought stress at til ering stage was nearly 60%, and that under drought stress at panicle initiation stage was 80%. Such low water content significantly reduced the rice yield. The cultivars with large panicle and great root growth potential had strong drought toler-ance at panicle initiation stage. Under drought stress, the cultivars with higher yield had stronger tolerance to drought. The drought tolerance indices at til ering stage had no correlations with those at panicle initiation stage. Under normal water condi-tions, the cultivars with smal er 1 000-grain weight had stronger tolerance to drought . Under drought stress , the cultivars with smal er 1 000-grain weight and higher grain yield had stronger tolerance to drought. [Conclusion] Among al the rice cultivars tested in the present study, D You 6511, Taiyou 99, Nei 5 You 317, Neixiangyou 18, Yixiangyou 7633, Tianyouhuazhan, II You 615, Neixiang 5306, Chuanguyou 7329 and Neixiang 7539 exhibited better tolerance to drought, and thus can be promoted in production.

Grey Correlation Analysis of Physiological Traits Related to Drought Tolerance in Pennisetum sp.

The drought resistance of Pennisetum sp. was analyzed under different drought stress conditions simulated by various concentrations of PEG-6000. Changesofa series of indexes such as chlorophyll content, water content, relative electrical conductivity of osmotic solution, MDA content, proline content, soluble polysaccharide content and soluble protein content in the leaves were measured.The correlation of these indexes with the drought resistance of Pennisetum sp. was an- alyzed by the method of grey correlation analysis. The results showed that the chlorophyll, water content, relative electrical conductivity and soluble protein con- tentexhibited obvious negative correlation with the stress concentration, which de- creasedfollowing the increase of PEG-6000 concentration. The soluble polysaccha- ride contentshowed an increasing trend,the MDA content showed a rise at first fol- lowed by a declinetrend, while the prolinecontent was just opposite to MDA. The changes of the 3 indexes showed obvious positive correlation with thestress con- centration. The correlation of these indexes with the drought resistance of Pennise- tum sp. were ranked as follows： leaf water content （0.980 8）, chlorophyll content （0.967 9）, MDA content （0.876 0）, soluble polysaccharide content （0.839 5）, soluble protein content（0.827 5）, relative electrical conductivity of osmotic solution（0.670 8）, and proline content（0.571 3）.

Identification of Drought Tolerance in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Germplasm at Seedling Stage

[Objective] This study was conducted to identify the drought tolerance of peanut（Arachis hypogaea） seedlings. [Method] The plant height, fresh weight and dry weight of 80 peanut varieties or lines were determined under the drought stress simulated using 15% PEG6000 in laboratory. Relative values of the three indices were calculated to measure the drought tolerance of the 80 peanut varieties or lines. [Result] The growth of peanut seedlings was significantly inhibited after 10 d of drought treatment. Cluster analysis revealed that at Euclidean distance D=15, the80 peanut varieties or lines were divided into four categories A, B, C and D. Among them, category B had better drought tolerance while category C was sensitive to drought. In all the four categories, the approved peanut varieties or lines showed better drought tolerance than the unapproved ones. [Conclusion] The drought tolerant and the drought sensitive peanut varieties or lines screened in this study can be used for further basic research and germplasm improvement.

Comprehensive Evaluation on Drought Tolerance of Widely-used Rice Varieties with Subordinate Function Method

Using drought-tolerant cultivar IAPAR 9 （upland rice from Brazil） and drought-sensitive varieties IR64 as the controls, the drought tolerances of total 26 rice varieties widely used in production were evaluated with subordinate function method based on morphological, physiological and yield traits. The results showed that the trait values of grain yield per plant （GYP）, effective panicles per plant （EPP）, seed-setting rate （SSR）, panicle length （PL）, leaf relative water content （RWC） and chlorophyll content （SPAD） in all tested varieties decreased significantly under the conditions of drought stress. The subordinate function values of these traits of all tested rice varieties were thus calculated varieties. Based on the aver- age subordinate function values of all these traits, total 7 （i.e. Y Liangyou 1） and 3 （i.e. Liangyou Peijiu） rice varieties were identified as drought-tolerant and drought- sensitive varieties, respectively.

Physiological Mechanism for Anthocyanins to Strengthen the Drought Tolerance of Plants

This paper summarized the possible physiological mechanism by which anthocyanins strengthen the tolerance of plants to drought. Drought stress can in-duce plant cel s to synthesize and accumulate anthocyanins. The photochemical properties, subcel ular accumulation sites and spatial distributions in plant organs and tissues of anthocyanins determine their function of strengthening plant tolerance, which is realized by three possible physiological mechanisms： （1） anthocyanins and their chelated metal ions can optimize the osmoregulation ability of the plant cel s by directly acting as the osmoregulation substances of the cel s, （2） anthocyanins with suitable spatial locations can reduce the photoinhibition of the plants under drought stresses, （3） anthocyanins can effectively maintain and improve the active oxygen-scavenging capacity of the plant cel s under drought conditions. Therein, that the anthocyanins enhance the antioxidant capacity of the plant cel s under drought stresses is probably the main reason for the anthocyanins to strengthen the drought tolerance of plants. This review could provide a reference for the mechanism re-search of the drought resistance and the breeding of the drought-resistant cultivars for the plants holding the ability to synthesize and accumulate anthocyanins.

The ABA synthesis enzyme allele OsNCED2^(T)promotes dryland adaptation in upland rice

Upland rice shows dryland adaptation in the form of a deeper and denser root system and greater drought resistance than its counterpart,irrigated rice.Our previous study revealed a difference in the frequency of the OsNCED2 gene between upland and irrigated populations.A nonsynonymous mutation(C to T,from irrigated to upland rice)may have led to functional variation fixed by artificial selection,but the exact biological function in dryland adaptation is unclear.In this study,transgenic and association analysis indicated that the domesticated fixed mutation caused functional variation in OsNCED2,increasing ABA levels,root development,and drought tolerance in upland rice under dryland conditions.OsNCED2-overexpressing rice showed increased reactive oxygen species-scavenging abilities and transcription levels of many genes functioning in stress response and development that may regulate root development and drought tolerance.OsNCED2^(T)-NILs showed a denser root system and drought resistance,promoting the yield of rice under dryland conditions.OsNCED2^(T)may confer dryland adaptation in upland rice and may find use in breeding dryland-adapted,water-saving rice.

Differences in leaf cuticular wax induced by whole-genome duplication in autotetraploid sour jujube

Drought-resistant plants exhibit strong water retention capability.In this regard,the autotetraploid sour jujube leaves exhibit better water retention than diploid leaves.Morphological comparisons and physiological comparisons of diploid and autotetraploid leaves showed that the autotetraploid leaves had thicker leaf cuticles and more leaf wax accumulation than the diploid leaves,which could reduce cuticle permeability and improve the drought tolerance of leaves.In this study,the cuticular wax crystalloids on the adaxial and abaxial sides of young and mature jujube leaves were observed in the two ploidy types,and unique cuticular wax crystalloids covering a large area of the cuticle on autotetraploid sour jujube leaves may provide an advantage in reducing leaf non-stomata transpiration and improving plant drought tolerance.Based on the transcriptome,115 differentially expressed genes between diploids and autotetraploids were further analyzed and found to be involved in the accumulation of cuticular wax components,including terpenoids,fatty acids,and lipids,as well as ABC transporter and wax biosynthetic process.Finally,14 genes differentially expressed between glossy autotetraploid leaves and nonglossy diploid leaves,such as LOC107414787,LOC107411574 and LOC107413721,were screened as candidate genes by qRT-PCR analysis.This findings provided insights into how polyploidization improved drought tolerance.