Physiological Responses and Transcriptome Analysis of ‘Hanfu’ Apple Plants Under PEG-Simulated Drought Stress
TL;DR
Drought-induced alterations in leaf physiological traits and transcriptional responses of ‘Hanfu’ apple seedlings are assessed and PEG-simulated drought stress reduced leaf water potential and photosynthetic pigment contents, while increasing oxidative damage and enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities.
Abstract
Simple Summary Drought is a major environmental constraint on apple growth and yield in China, particularly in arid and semi-arid apple-producing regions. However, the integrated physiological and transcriptomic responses of ‘Hanfu’ apple to short-term drought stress remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, we assessed drought-induced alterations in leaf physiological traits and transcriptional responses of ‘Hanfu’ apple seedlings. PEG-simulated drought stress reduced leaf water potential and photosynthetic pigment contents, while increasing oxidative damage and enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities. Transcriptome analysis showed that PEG-simulated drought stress affected photosynthesis, antioxidant defense, and plant hormone signal transduction, particularly the auxin and abscisic acid signaling pathways. These findings deepen our understanding of the drought response of ‘Hanfu’ apple leaves and offer candidate genes for subsequent studies of drought tolerance in apple.