Rashidi Zahra, Azizi Khosro, Eisvand Hamid Reza
Department of agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad city, Iran.
Department of plant production engineering and genetics, Lorestan university, Khorramabad city, Iran.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Sep 2;25(1):1195. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-07226-x.
Caffeic acid, one of the important phenolic compounds in plants, plays a significant role in enhancing the defense mechanisms and adaptation of plants to environmental stresses, including drought. This study aimed to investigate the effect of drought stress on the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of caffeic acid, photosynthetic mechanisms, and antioxidant enzyme activity in three cultivars of beans. The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design within a randomized complete block design, with three irrigation levels (50, 75, and 100% of water requirement) as the main factor and three bean cultivars (red, white, and pinto) as the sub-factor, with three replications.
The results showed that drought stress increased the expression of caffeic acid biosynthesis genes and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, SOD, POD) in all bean cultivars. These responses were particularly stronger in pinto and red beans. For instance, caffeic acid content increased by more than 60% under severe drought in pinto bean tissues, contributing to improved antioxidant capacity. While drought stress reduced seed yield in all cultivars, the decline was less pronounced in pinto bean (about 14%), indicating its higher drought tolerance compared to the white bean, which showed a larger yield reduction.
These results suggest that the increased expression of genes involved in caffeic acid biosynthesis and the enhancement of antioxidant activity are key mechanisms in plant adaptation to drought. Identifying and utilizing these mechanisms can provide effective strategies for genetic improvement and the production of drought-resistant cultivars. Moreover, the findings can contribute to optimizing irrigation management and improving production sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions.
咖啡酸是植物中重要的酚类化合物之一，在增强植物防御机制以及使其适应包括干旱在内的环境胁迫方面发挥着重要作用。本研究旨在探究干旱胁迫对三种菜豆品种中参与咖啡酸生物合成的基因表达、光合机制及抗氧化酶活性的影响。试验采用随机完全区组设计中的裂区设计，以三种灌溉水平（需水量的50%、75%和100%）作为主因素，三种菜豆品种（红芸豆、白芸豆和斑豆）作为副因素，设置三个重复。
结果表明，干旱胁迫增加了所有菜豆品种中咖啡酸生物合成基因的表达，并增强了抗氧化酶活性（CAT、SOD、POD）。这些反应在斑豆和红芸豆中尤为强烈。例如，在严重干旱条件下，斑豆组织中的咖啡酸含量增加了60%以上，有助于提高抗氧化能力。虽然干旱胁迫降低了所有品种的种子产量，但斑豆的产量下降不太明显（约14%），表明其耐旱性高于白芸豆，白芸豆的产量降幅更大。
这些结果表明，参与咖啡酸生物合成的基因表达增加以及抗氧化活性增强是植物适应干旱的关键机制。识别和利用这些机制可为遗传改良和培育抗旱品种提供有效策略。此外，这些发现有助于优化灌溉管理，提高干旱和半干旱地区的生产可持续性。
