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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Crop and Product Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1486564
This article is part of the Research Topic Quality and Resistance Physiology and Regulation of Root and Tuber Crops View all 7 articles

Physiological Characteristics and Transcriptomic Analyses of Alfalfa Root Crown in Wintering

Provisionally accepted
Xiaolong Wang Xiaolong Wang 1*Hua Chai Hua Chai 1Shasha Li Shasha Li 1Yanxia Xu Yanxia Xu 1Yue Wu Yue Wu 1Jianli Wang Jianli Wang 2Zhao Yang Zhao Yang 1
  • 1 Qiqihaer Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qiqihaer, Heilongjiang Province, China
  • 2 Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Alfalfa, scientifically identified as Medicago sativa, is repeatedly referred to as the "king of forages". Because of its tight relationship to winter hardiness, the alfalfa's root crown plays a significant role as a storage organ over the winter. At present, it is still unknown what molecular process makes the alfalfa root crown resistant to cold. This study was aimed to study these knowledge gaps. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology, significant genes associated with cold hardiness were found.Methods: According to the random block design, Longmu 806 alfalfa and Sardi alfalfa were planted in regional experiments. Under the condition of low-temperature treatment in winter, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), winter survival rate (WSR), and physiological characteristics were, in turn, calculated by RNA-Seq, chemical analysis, and field investigation.The WSR of the Longmu 806 alfalfa was 3.68-fold greater than that of the Sardi alfalfa. The jasmonic acid (JA), soluble sugar (SS), proline (Pro), and glutathione (GSH) concentration in the roots of Longmu 806 alfalfa was more than the same amount in Sardi alfalfa in other words P is less than 0.05. An entire set of 878 DEGs related to winter hardiness was found by statistical analysis. Among them, 463 DEGs showed an increase in expression, whereas 415 DEGs showed a decrease in expression. The metabolic pathways' examination presented that the DEGs (MsERF1, MsCHIB, MsJAZ, MsAOC, MsGST, MsINV, MsTPS, and MsOAT) were linked to the pathways of "plant hormone signaling transduction", "Amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism", and "glutathione metabolism". Furthermore, the physiological changes in JA, SS, Pro content, and GSH were influenced by the dynamic transcription profile of LT (low-temperature) resistance-related genes.

    Keywords: alfalfa, cold resistance, Physiological characteristics, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs), Winter survival rate

    Received: 26 Aug 2024; Accepted: 22 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Chai, Li, Xu, Wu, Wang and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiaolong Wang, Qiqihaer Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qiqihaer, Heilongjiang Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.