Key pathways of turnip in response to drought stress based on transcriptomics and metabolomics

Background Drought stress significantly impacts the growth and yield of turnip, with global warming posing an increasing threat to agricultural productivity in the future. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying drought stress responses is therefore crucial for developing drought-resistant germplasm. In this study.Results transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses were conducted on the leaves of two turnip cultivars, 'Huang Qiamagu' (drought-tolerant) and 'Ka Maku' (drought-sensitive), under mild and severe drought stress. Key genes and metabolites involved in turnip drought response were identified. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 2,689 and 6,071 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under mild drought stress, and 6,803 and 11,579 DEGs under severe drought stress. Metabolomic analysis detected 2,055 and 2,608 metabolites under mild drought stress, and 3,153 and 3,386 metabolites under severe drought stress. Combined transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis identified 66, 69, 69, and 78 KEGG-enriched pathways associated with DEGs and differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs). These DEGs and DEMs were primarily involved in amino acid metabolism, osmotic regulation, and plant hormone signaling, which play critical roles in enhancing drought resistance in turnip.Conclusion The findings provide a theoretical basis for identifying drought-tolerant candidate genes and elucidating drought-resistance mechanisms in turnip at the seedling stage.