Ethanol treatment enhances drought stress avoidance in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

• Published in: Plant molecular biology 2022-10, Vol.110 (3), p.269-285
• Main Authors: Vu, Anh Thu, Utsumi, Yoshinori, Utsumi, Chikako, Tanaka, Maho, Takahashi, Satoshi, Todaka, Daisuke, Kanno, Yuri, Seo, Mitsunori, Ando, Eigo, Sako, Kaori, Bashir, Khurram, Kinoshita, Toshinori, Pham, Xuan Hoi, Seki, Motoaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abscisic acid; Acetaldehyde; Alcohol; Alcohol industry; Alcohol, Denatured; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cassava; Cellular stress response; Drought resistance; Droughts; Drug tolerance; Ethanol; Fuel industry; Heat shock proteins; Heat tolerance; Leaves; Life Sciences; Manihot esculenta; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences; Plant species; Protein folding; Proteins; Salinity; Signal transduction; Starch; Stomata; Transcriptomics; Transpiration; Water content; Woody plants
• ISSN: 0167-4412; 1573-5028
• DOI: 10.1007/s11103-022-01300-w

External application of ethanol enhances tolerance to high salinity, drought, and heat stress in various plant species. However, the effects of ethanol application on increased drought tolerance in woody plants, such as the tropical crop “cassava,” remain unknown. In the present study, we analyzed the morphological, physiological, and molecular responses of cassava plants subjected to ethanol pretreatment and subsequent drought stress treatment. Ethanol pretreatment induced a slight accumulation of abscisic acid (ABA) and stomatal closure, resulting in a reduced transpiration rate, higher water content in the leaves during drought stress treatment and the starch accumulation in leaves. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ethanol pretreatment upregulated the expression of ABA signaling-related genes, such as PP2Cs and AITRs , and stress response and protein-folding-related genes, such as heat shock proteins ( HSPs ). In addition, the upregulation of drought-inducible genes during drought treatment was delayed in ethanol-pretreated plants compared with that in water-pretreated control plants. These results suggest that ethanol pretreatment induces stomatal closure through activation of the ABA signaling pathway, protein folding-related response by activating the HSP/chaperone network and the changes in sugar and starch metabolism, resulting in increased drought avoidance in plants. Key message Ethanol priming induces drought stress avoidance in cassava by regulating stomatal closure.