Integration of multi-omics and deep phenotyping provides novel insights into multiple abiotic stress responses in potato

Abstract

AbstractPotato, the most important non-cereal crop, is highly water and space efficient but susceptible to abiotic stress such as heat, drought, or flooding. Climate change is severely increasing the likelihood of such stresses to occur individually, sequentially, or simultaneously. However, the understanding of acclimation to abiotic stress in crops in general, especially with multiple stresses, is still very limited. Here, we present a comprehensive one month-long molecular and physiological high-throughput profiling of potato (Solanum tuberosum, cv. Désirée) under both single and multiple abiotic stresses, designed to mimic realistic future scenarios. Acclimation time-responses were monitored via daily phenomic analysis and leaf samples were processed for multi-omics spanning from transcriptomics to proteomics and hormonomics. Additionally, critical metabolites of tuber samples were analysed at the end of the period. To facilitate the multi-omics analyses, the dataset was integrated with prior knowledge, which is indispensable for development of high-throughput pipelines in agricultural research. Waterlogging had the most immediate and dramatic effects, with responses similar to drought stress. In addition, we observed distinct stress signatures at multiple molecular levels in response to heat or drought and to a combination of both. In general, there was a downregulation of photosynthesis at different molecular levels, accumulation of minor amino acids and diverse stress induced hormones. Our integrative multi-omics analysis provides global insights into plant stress responses, facilitating improved breeding strategies.One Sentence SummaryIntegrated multi-omics analysis of high-throughput phenotyping in potato reveals distinct molecular signatures of acclimation to single and combined abiotic stresses related to climate change.