Physiological, Biochemical, and Gene Expression Responses of Sugarcane Under Cold, Drought and Salt Stresses

The quantitative nature of abiotic stresses makes the understanding of its molecular basis a demanding task. For developing a rational breeding and/or genetic engineering strategy—understanding the environmental signal perception, its transmission to cellular machinery and adaptive responses of the plant is critical. Here, subjecting sugarcane seedlings to salt and cold stresses resulted in chlorosis, wilting, leaf rolling and the drought stress led to decrease in relative water content. The LPO content accumulated during drought and salt stress indicate the stress responses of the plant. The proline content increased in response to drought and salt stress underscore the proline function as an important osmoprotectant in sugarcane. The differential gene expression under drought, salt and cold stress for abiotic stress responsive genes like p5CS1, APX, CAT, GST, HSP, LEA, NAC, SOD, NHX, NFY, NCED, ERA, SOS, and DREB in sugarcane seedlings indicates the molecular basis of stress response in this commercially important crop.