Zinc (Zn) deficiency poses a major global health challenge, and wheat grains generally contain low Zn concentrations. In this study, the wheat cultivar ‘Zhongmai 175’ was identified as zinc-efficient. Hydroponic experiments demonstrated that Zn deficiency induced the secretion of oxalic acid and malic acid in root exudates and significantly increased total root length in ‘Zhongmai 175’. To elucidate the underlying regulatory mechanisms, transcriptome profiling via RNA sequencing was conducted under Zn-deficient conditions. A total of 2287 and 1935 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in roots and shoots, respectively. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were primarily associated with Zn ion transport, homeostasis, transmembrane transport, and hormone signaling. Key DEGs belonged to gene families including VIT, NAS, DMAS, ZIP, tDT, HMA, and NAAT. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, particularly lignin synthesis genes, was significantly downregulated in Zn-deficient roots. In shoots, cysteine and methionine metabolism, along with plant hormone signal transduction, were the most enriched pathways. Notably, most DEGs in shoots were associated with the biosynthesis of phytosiderophores (MAs, NA) and ethylene. Overall, genes involved in Zn ion transport, phytosiderophore biosynthesis, dicarboxylate transport, and ethylene biosynthesis appear to play central roles in wheat’s adaptive response to Zn deficiency. These findings provide a valuable foundation for understanding the molecular basis of Zn efficiency in wheat and for breeding Zn-enriched varieties.

Global climate change and warming are increasing challenges to plant growth, development, and crop productivity. To investigate the responses of pepper seedlings to short-term high-temperature stress, we performed time-course physiological and transcriptome analyses on leaves of a heat-tolerant line (J18-1) and a heat-sensitive line (J190) at the 6–8 true leaves stage after exposure to 42 °C for 0, 6, and 24 h. Comparisons were made within each line using 0 h as the baseline. Under high-temperature stress, J18-1 maintained chlorophyll without degradation, with SOD, POD, and CAT activities increasing at 6 h and remaining elevated at 24 h, and MDA content remaining low. In contrast, J190 showed a transient chlorophyll increase that returned to the baseline at 24 h, with antioxidant enzyme activities increasing at 6 h but declining at 24 h, and MDA content increasing at 6 h and remaining elevated at 24 h. In total, 16,912 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified across all comparisons. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum and plant hormone signal transduction were the most significantly enriched pathways, in which HSP20 and ERF genes showed genotype-dependent expression changes. qRT-PCR confirmed that HSP20 genes were up-regulated at both 6 h and 24 h under high-temperature stress, consistent with the transcriptome data. These results provide candidate genes and pathways for elucidating pepper seedling responses to short-term high-temperature stress.