Stress events have transgenerational effects on plant growth and development. In Mediterranean regions, water-deficit and heat (WH) stress is a frequent issue that negatively affects crop yield and quality. Nitrogen (N) is an essential plant macronutrient and often a yield-limiting factor for crops. Here, the response of durum wheat seedlings to N starvation under the transgenerational effects of WH stress was investigated in two genotypes. Both genotypes showed a significant reduction in seedling height, leaf number, shoot and root weight (fresh and dry), primary root length, and chlorophyll content under N starvation stress. However, in the WH stress-tolerant genotype, the percentage reduction of most traits was lower in progeny from the stressed parents than progeny from the control parents. Small RNA sequencing identified 1534 microRNAs in different treatment groups. Differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) were characterized subject to N starvation, parental stress and genotype factors, with their target genes identified in silico. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed the biological functions, associated with DEM-target modules in stress adaptation processes, that could contribute to the phenotypic differences observed between the two genotypes. The study provides the first evidence of the transgenerational effects of WH stress on the N starvation response in durum wheat.
Keywords: crop improvement; cross stress tolerance; microRNAs; nitrogen starvation; transgenerational effects; water-deficit and heat stress.