Comparative physiological and transcriptomic analysis of rapid post-midday photosynthetic recovery in Saccharum spontaneum reveals candidate pathways for sugarcane improvement
- 1National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding Ministry of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
- 2National Key Laboratory for Biological Breeding of Tropical Crops
Abstract
Background Global climate warming has increasingly exacerbated the adverse effects of high temperature on crop yield and quality. Saccharum spontaneum, a wild resource that serves as a crucial genetic reservoir for sugarcane, represents a valuable genetic asset for improving heat tolerance in sugarcane breeding. Recent studies have shown that S. spontaneum contributes to modern sugarcane breeding not only as a source of resistance genes but also to sugar accumulation in contemporary cultivars. However, the molecular basis underlying its photosynthetic recovery following combined heat and high light stress remains unclear. Materials and methods In this study, 20 S. spontaneum accessions were evaluated under natural high-temperature and high-light conditions by measuring photosynthetic parameters at 09:00, 14:00, and 17:00. Two accessions showing contrasting post-noon recovery of net photosynthetic rate were identified: the fast-recovering line 82–114 (L114) and the slow-recovering line 2021-17 (L17). Results Transcriptome sequencing and differential expression analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were predominantly enriched in pathways related to plant hormone signal transduction, antioxidant enzyme systems, photosynthesis, and carbon metabolism. Further weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified co-expression modules highly associated with the afternoon samples of L114, along with key regulatory factors including WRKY, NF-YC, CAMTA, C2H2, and RLK family members. Physiological and molecular data together indicate that L114 orchestrates a dynamic response under heat and high light stress by remodeling ethylene, jasmonic acid, and auxin signaling networks; coordinately enhancing peroxisome-associated antioxidant systems; transiently downregulating and subsequently restoring the expression of light-harvesting and electron transport genes in the photosystems; and finely tuning glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the pentose phosphate pathway to achieve a temporal response characterized by “damage suppression–rapid repair–recovery of high photosynthesis.” This study is the first to investigate candidate pathways underlying the rapid recovery of photosynthesis following midday depression in S. spontaneum, and to identify germplasm with high photosynthetic capacity and rapid post-midday recovery. These mechanistic insights provide novel candidate targets for functional validation and genetic improvement in sugarcane breeding.
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BibTeX
@article{ran2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative physiological and transcriptomic analysis of rapid post-midday photosynthetic recovery in Saccharum spontaneum reveals candidate pathways for sugarcane improvement}},
author = {Maoyong Ran and Ruiqian Zhou and Lixuan Ge and Junjie Zhao and Jiahui Yang and Bo Yu and Weitong Zhao and Yue Wang and Zhiwei Yang and Guoqiang Huang and Liangnian Xu and Chaohua Huang and Jiayong Liu and Zuhu Deng and Xinwang Zhao},
journal = {BMC Plant Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1186/s12870-026-09161-x},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09161-x},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative physiological and transcriptomic analysis of rapid post-midday photosynthetic recovery in Saccharum spontaneum reveals candidate pathways for sugarcane improvement
AU - Maoyong Ran
AU - Ruiqian Zhou
AU - Lixuan Ge
AU - Junjie Zhao
AU - Jiahui Yang
AU - Bo Yu
AU - Weitong Zhao
AU - Yue Wang
AU - Zhiwei Yang
AU - Guoqiang Huang
AU - Liangnian Xu
AU - Chaohua Huang
AU - Jiayong Liu
AU - Zuhu Deng
AU - Xinwang Zhao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/01
JO - BMC Plant Biology
DO - 10.1186/s12870-026-09161-x
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09161-x
AB - Background Global climate warming has increasingly exacerbated the adverse effects of high temperature on crop yield and quality. Saccharum spontaneum, a wild resource that serves as a crucial genetic reservoir for sugarcane, represents a valuable genetic asset for improving heat tolerance in sugarcane breeding. Recent studies have shown that S. spontaneum contributes to modern sugarcane breeding not only as a source of resistance genes but also to sugar accumulation in contemporary cultivars. However, the molecular basis underlying its photosynthetic recovery following combined heat and high light stress remains unclear. Materials and methods In this study, 20 S. spontaneum accessions were evaluated under natural high-temperature and high-light conditions by measuring photosynthetic parameters at 09:00, 14:00, and 17:00. Two accessions showing contrasting post-noon recovery of net photosynthetic rate were identified: the fast-recovering line 82–114 (L114) and the slow-recovering line 2021-17 (L17). Results Transcriptome sequencing and differential expression analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were predominantly enriched in pathways related to plant hormone signal transduction, antioxidant enzyme systems, photosynthesis, and carbon metabolism. Further weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified co-expression modules highly associated with the afternoon samples of L114, along with key regulatory factors including WRKY, NF-YC, CAMTA, C2H2, and RLK family members. Physiological and molecular data together indicate that L114 orchestrates a dynamic response under heat and high light stress by remodeling ethylene, jasmonic acid, and auxin signaling networks; coordinately enhancing peroxisome-associated antioxidant systems; transiently downregulating and subsequently restoring the expression of light-harvesting and electron transport genes in the photosystems; and finely tuning glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the pentose phosphate pathway to achieve a temporal response characterized by “damage suppression–rapid repair–recovery of high photosynthesis.” This study is the first to investigate candidate pathways underlying the rapid recovery of photosynthesis following midday depression in S. spontaneum, and to identify germplasm with high photosynthetic capacity and rapid post-midday recovery. These mechanistic insights provide novel candidate targets for functional validation and genetic improvement in sugarcane breeding.
SN - 1471-2229
ER -