RNAseq data from Arabidopsis and BC204 treatment

BC204 is a citrus-based plant extract applied as a plant biostimulant on a variety of plant species in South Africa, China and Australia. Although there are reports that it elicits physiological responses such as an increase in crop yield and fruit quality, no molecular data is available to explain the specific mechanisms associated with these effects. In this study, an RNA-seq approach was adopted to elucidate the effects of BC204 at the molecular level in Arabidopsis thaliana. BC204, applied via a soil drench at low concentrations of 0.01% (v/v), stimulated above-ground biomass production whilst eliciting a large change in gene expression levels across several biochemical pathways. Of the entire transcriptomic profile examined, 8.212% of genes were significantly differentially expressed between the treated and control groups, of which 5.136% were upregulated and 3.076% downregulated. Most notably, genes involved in photosynthesis, several aspects of cell wall biogenesis, remodelling and restructuring, carbohydrate metabolism, signalling, stress and secondary metabolism were upregulated, which could explain the observed increase in plant growth. Genes related to transcription and RNA regulation were both strongly up- and downregulated, which suggests that BC204 plays a role in inducing and suppressing several pathways. This novel study provides valuable information to be used as starting point for targeted future research.