Genetic Insights into a Major Pathway for Drought Tolerance in Sunflower in vitro

The study focuses on analyzing the transcriptomic response to drought, with a specific aim of comparing differential gene expression within the ABA biosynthesis and signaling pathways. Seeds from two sunflower (Helianthus annuus) inbred lines were germinated for two days and subsequently cultivated in MS medium for ten days. To simulate drought stress, filter-sterilized 4% polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) was added to the MS medium as treatment. Leaf samples were then collected for RNA extraction and transcriptome analysis.