Positively Regulates Drought Tolerance in by Scavenging Reactive Oxygen Species.

Drought stress is a major abiotic constraint that severely restricts the growth of L. by inducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play a key role in regulating plant responses to drought stress. In this study, we investigated the role of the gene in drought tolerance. Under mannitol and ABA stress treatments, -overexpressing lines (OEs) showed significantly longer primary roots, increased lateral roots, and higher fresh weight compared to wild-type (Col) lines, indicating significantly enhanced growth and drought tolerance. Similarly, under soil drought conditions, transgenic exhibited enhanced drought tolerance. NBT staining demonstrated decreased ROS accumulation in transgenic lines after stress treatment. Correspondingly, the -overexpressing lines displayed significantly lower levels of hydrogen peroxide (HO), superoxide anion (O), and malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to Col, along with elevated activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), as well as increased proline (Pro) content. Furthermore, upregulated the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes (, , and ) and modulated the expression of other drought-related genes. In summary, our results demonstrate that enhances drought tolerance in by improving ROS scavenging capacity. This study provides a theoretical foundation for further exploration of 's functional mechanisms in drought stress adaptation.