Drought stress is one of the most adverse environmental constraints to plant growth and productivity. Comparative proteomics of drought-tolerant and sensitive wheat genotypes is a strategy to understand the complexity of molecular mechanism of wheat in response to drought. This study attempted to extend findings regarding the potential proteomic dynamics in wheat under drought stress and to enrich the research content of drought tolerance mechanism. A comparative proteomics approach was applied to analyze proteome change of Xihan No. 2 (a drought-tolerant cultivar) and Longchun 23 (a drought-sensitive cultivar) subjected to a range of dehydration treatments (18 h, 24 h and 48 h) and rehydration treatment (R24 h) using 2-DE, respectively. Quantitative image analysis showed a total of 172 protein spots in Xihan No. 2 and 215 spots from Longchun 23 with their abundance significantly altered (p < 0.05) more than 2.5-fold. Out of these spots, a total of 84 and 64 differentially abundant proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS in Xihan No. 2 and Longchun 23, respectively. Most of these identified proteins were involved in metabolism, photosynthesis, defence and protein translation/processing/degradation in both two cultivars. In addition, the proteins involved in redox homeostasis, energy, transcription, cellular structure, signalling and transport were also identified. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of drought-responsive proteome allowed for the general elucidation of the major mechanisms associated with differential responses to drought of both two cultivars. These cellular processes work more cooperatively to re-establish homeostasis in Xihan No. 2 than Longchun 23. The resistance mechanisms of Xihan No. 2 mainly included changes in the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids as well as in the activation of more antioxidation and defense systems and in the levels of proteins involved in ATP synthesis and protein degradation/refolding. This study revealed that the levels of a number of proteins involved in various cellular processes were affected by drought stress in two wheat cultivars with different drought tolerance. The results showed that there exist specific responses to drought in Xihan No. 2 and Longchun 23. The proposed hypothetical model would explain the interaction of these identified proteins that are associated with drought-responses in two cultivars, and help in developing strategies to improve drought tolerance in wheat.

This study investigated the response of watermelon seedlings to drought stress by assessing the growth, physiological, and biochemical indices using a pot-based continuous drought method. Drought stress indices, phenotypic plasticity indices, and membership function values were calculated, followed by a correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis, to comprehensively evaluate the drought resistance of 13 watermelon genotypes. The results revealed that drought stress significantly reduced the fresh and dry weights, root length, root area, root volume, root tips, and forks of watermelon seedlings. Additionally, drought significantly reduced the relative water content of leaves and increased the levels of osmotic-adjustment substances (soluble sugars, soluble proteins, proline, and starch). Persistent drought also modulated the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT), leading to oxidative stress through the accumulation of H₂O₂. Membrane damage, indicated by a significant increase in the MDA content and relative conductivity, was observed, adversely affecting seedling growth. Phenotypic plasticity indices indicated that watermelon exhibits strong adaptability to drought. Cluster analysis categorized the 13 genotypes into four groups: highly drought-resistant (14X5), drought-resistant (LK13, JLR, HXF1, 14X4, 14X1, and 14X6), low drought-resistant (21F05, JH1, JR3, 14X7, and 16F02), and drought-sensitive (16C07). This study provides valuable genetic resources for breeding drought-resistant watermelon varieties.

Deciphering the genetic mechanisms underlying key agronomic and quality traits in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is essential for advancing varietal improvement. Phenotypic instability in early clonal generations and inbreeding depression, coupled with the complexity of tetrasomic inheritance, pose significant challenges in constructing mapping populations for the genetic dissection of complex traits. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) offer an efficient method to establish trait–genome associations by analyzing genetic recombination and mutation events in natural populations. This review systematically examines the application of GWASs in identifying agronomic traits in potato, such as plant architecture, yield components, tuber shape, and resistance to early and late blight and nematodes, as well as quality traits including dry matter, starch, and glycoalkaloid content. Some key chromosomal hotspots identified through GWASs include chromosome 5 associated with tuber yield, starch content, and late blight resistance; chromosome 4 and 10 associations with tuber shape and starch content; chromosomes 1, 9, and 11 associated with plant height, tuber number, glycoalkaloid content, and pest resistance. It elucidates the advantages and limitations of GWASs for genetic loci identification in this autotetraploid crop, providing theoretical insights and a reference framework for the precise localization of key genetic loci and the discovery of underlying genes using GWASs.

Salinity stress is a critical abiotic factor that significantly impairs crop productivity. Salicylic acid (SA) demonstrates efficacy in mitigating salt stress induced physiological damage across plant tissues. However, the physiological mechanism by which SA alleviates salinity stress in faba bean remains largely unclear. For this purpose, two genotypes of faba bean were subjected to various concentrations of NaCl and SA treatments design. Salt stress significantly reduced faba bean seedling growth, root architecture, biomass accumulation, and chlorophyll content, ultimately impairing photosynthetic efficiency and reducing yield compared to control plants. However, under 150 mmol L−1 NaCl treatment, chlorophyll a/b ratios, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of photosystem II (PSII), soluble protein (SP) content, soluble sugar (SS) content, and Na+ accumulation in both leaves and roots were markedly elevated compared to controls. The light utilization efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm, ΦPSII, qP), gas exchange parameters (Pn, Gs, Tr) and contents of SP and SS content increased under the 1.0 mmol L−1 SA + NaCl treatment when compared to the NaCl treatment alone. SA also significantly inhibited Na+ uptake and enhanced the absorption of K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and increased the K+/Na+ ratio in both roots and leaves of faba bean plants by up-regulating the expression of VfNHX1, VfSOS1, and VfHKT1 under NaCl stress. Moreover, exogenous SA also enhanced the 100-grain weight and pod-setting ability in salt-exposed faba bean plant. Exogenous SA improved the tolerance of faba bean plants to salinity stress by enhancing PSII light utilization efficiency, osmotic adjustment, root system architecture, and maintaining Na+/K+ homeostasis.

As a multi-use cash crop, the yield and quality traits of potatoes are often affected by genotype × environment interactions (GEI). Understanding the influence of GEI on potato yield and quality across varying environmental conditions is crucial for selecting excellent varieties suitable for specific ecological regions. Ten advanced potato lines and twenty-two cultivars were assessed at three pilot sites in Gansu Province, China over two successive years (2020–2021). Tuber yield, dry matter, starch, reducing sugar, carotenoid, vitamin C, pyridoxamine, thiamine, nicotinic acid, pyridoxal and pyridoxine were analyzed. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant effects of GEI on all traits, with the greatest effects observed for vitamin C, reducing sugars, and carotenoids. AMMI, the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), and the genotype main effect plus genotype × environment interaction (GGE) biplot analysis revealed that G25 exhibited high yield, high dry matter content, and high carotenoid content in Weiyuan County. In Anding District, G18 showed high yield, high thiamine content, and low reducing sugar content. Meanwhile, G7 demonstrated superior performance with high yield, high carotenoid and thiamine contents, along with high pyridoxine content in Yongchang County. Genotype recommendations based on the mean values and stability of a single trait are partial and prejudiced, while selections based on multiple traits are desirable. Five ideal genotypes (G23, G26, G25, G24, and G16) were selected by multi-trait stability index (MTSI) in consideration of both the mean values and stability of yield and key quality traits. Multi-environment trials revealed that GEI significantly affected vitamin C, reducing sugars, and carotenoids in potato. Five high-yielding and high-quality potato genotypes adapted to different ecological regions of Gansu Province were identified using MTSI analysis. This study provides references for the regional cultivation and quality breeding of potatoes.