A comparative study of two grapevine rootstocks with contrasting drought stress responses revealed that the drought-resilient RUG harbors an efficient antioxidant defense system, characterized by increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT), along with elevated proline (Pro) levels compared to the drought-sensitive MGT. This robust scavenging machinery enables RUG to maintain redox balance, effectively mitigating oxidative stress and preserving cellular integrity during drought. Anatomical evaluations showed severe xylem disruptions in MGT, including extensive tylosis, leading to leaf necrosis and impaired water transport. Conversely, RUG maintained a structurally intact and functional xylem, crucial for sustaining hydraulic conductivity and water supply during drought. The pronounced rise in Pro underscores its critical role in drought resilience, working synergistically with other cellular components to facilitate osmotic adjustment while detoxifying reactive oxygen species (ROS) and minimizing oxidative damage. Transcriptome profiling suggested that RUG displays sequential gene expression during drought driven by distinct molecular processes for photosynthesis, osmotic adjustment, and structural remodeling, a dynamic notably absent in MGT. These findings emphasize the complex interplay of osmotic and oxidative homeostasis in RUG, illustrating the adaptive mechanisms that contribute to its drought resilience, potentially guiding future rootstock selection and breeding strategies.

Like other plant stresses, salinity is a central agricultural problem, mainly in arid or semi-arid regions. Therefore, salt-adapted plants have evolved several adaptation strategies to counteract salt-related events, such as photosynthesis inhibition, metabolic toxicity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. European grapes are usually grafted onto salt-tolerant rootstocks as a cultivation practice to alleviate salinity-dependent damage. In the current study, two grape rootstocks, 140 Ruggeri (RUG) and Millardet et de Grasset 420A (MGT), were utilized to evaluate the diversity of their salinity adaptation strategies. The results showed that RUG is able to maintain higher levels of the photosynthetic pigments (Chl-T, Chl-a, and Chl-b) under salt stress, and hence accumulates higher levels of total soluble sugars (TSS), monosaccharides, and disaccharides compared with the MGT rootstock. Moreover, it was revealed that the RUG rootstock maintains and/or increases the enzymatic activities of catalase, GPX, and SOD under salinity, giving it a more efficient ROS detoxification machinery under stress.

Salinity is a global environmental threat to agricultural production and food security around the world. To delineate salt-induced damage from adaption events we analysed a pair of sorghum genotypes which are contrasting in their response to salt stress with respect to physiological, cellular, metabolomic, and transcriptional responses. We find that the salt-tolerant genotype Della can delay the transfer of sodium from the root to the shoot, more swiftly deploy accumulation of proline and antioxidants in the leaves and transfer more sucrose to the root as compared to its susceptible counterpart Razinieh. Instead Razinieh shows metabolic indicators for a higher extent photorespiration under salt stress. Following sodium accumulation by a fluorescent dye in the different regions of the root, we find that Della can sequester sodium in the vacuoles of the distal elongation zone. The timing of the adaptive responses in Della leaves indicates a rapid systemic signal from the roots that is travelling faster than sodium itself. We arrive at a model where resistance and susceptibility are mainly a matter of temporal patterns in signalling.

Sucrose, the primary carbon form synthesized by photosynthesis, is transported via the phloem for proper plant development and productivity. However, long-distance sucrose transport can become unbalanced under adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, we highlight the influence of salt stress on sugar partitioning in source versus sink tissues in sorghum under generative development including the role of stress induced sucrose transporter expression. The two sorghum genotypes displayed different responses to salinity in terms of resource allocation, in Della sugar was translocated to the stem and roots, whereas in Razinieh sugars were directed towards the grains. In Della, the unloading of sucrose in the roots was associated with increased expression levels of SbSUT6 and SbSWEET6, while in the internodes, sucrose unloading correlated with elevated levels of SbSWEET13 and the ABA-dependent transcription factor SbbZIP-TF-TRAB1. Conversely, in Razinieh, the expression of SbSUT2 in the flag internodes was linked to enhanced panicle development. In addition, a differential activation of SbSWEET13 and SbSUT6 promoters by ABA and MeJA was elucidated using dual-luciferase reporter assay in sorghum protoplasts. Finally, we arrive at a model where dynamic remodeling of sugar transport during generative development is crucial for the response to salt stress, and more manifested in sink tissues.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient, playing a role in developmental and metabolic processes in plants. To understand the local and systemic responses of sorghum to inorganic phosphorus (P_i) starvation and the potential of straw and ash for reutilisation in agriculture, we compared two grain (Razinieh) and sweet (Della) sorghum varieties with respect to their morpho-physiological and molecular responses. We found that P_i starvation increased the elongation of primary roots, the formation of lateral roots, and the accumulation of anthocyanin. In Razinieh, lateral roots were promoted to a higher extent, correlated with a higher expression of SbPht1 phosphate transporters. Infrared spectra of straw from mature plants raised to maturity showed two prominent bands at 1371 and 2337 cm⁻¹, which could be assigned to P-H(H₂) stretching vibration in phosphine acid and phosphinothious acid, and their derivates, whose abundance correlated with phosphate uptake of the source plant and genotype (with a higher intensity in Razinieh). The ash generated from these straws stimulated the shoot elongation and root development of the rice seedlings, especially for the material derived from Razinieh raised under P_i starvation. In conclusion, sorghum growing on marginal lands has potential as a bio-economy alternative for mineral phosphorus recycling.