Physiological, Cellular, and Transcriptomic Analyses Provide Insights into the Tolerance Response of Arundo donax to Waterlogging Stress

Abstract

Arundo donax is widely used as an ornamental plant in landscape gardening because of its adaptability to varying degrees of waterlogged conditions. However, to date, little information is available about the adaptive mechanism of A. donax under waterlogging stress. The results showed that long-term mild waterlogging efficiently induced the formation of adventitious roots (ARs) and further promoted root aerenchyma development, and that the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT) in Ars also was greatly enhanced after waterlogging. At the transcriptomic level, the expression of genes related to apoptosis, the regulation of cell division, ethylene biosynthesis, alginate synthesis, auxin signaling pathways, and anaerobic respiration was mostly up-regulated after the occurrence of waterlogging stress but genes involved in the abscisic acid signaling pathways were partly down-regulated, which indicated a preferential and favorable transcriptional response in regulating adventitious root development. Taken together, this study definitely advances our knowledge of the morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic responses of A. donax under waterlogging stress and sheds new lights on its adaptive mechanisms.