Transcriptional response of durum wheat roots and leaves to continuous chromium stress
Chromium (Cr) is a highly toxic heavy metal for both mono and dicot plants, causing severe cellular damage and disturbances in plant growth, development, and reproduction. Its phytotoxicity results in serious changes in plant physiology, gene expression, and at a transgenerational level in genomic DNA methylation. Herein, transcriptional responses of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) to continuous and basal Cr stress were explored in roots and leaves by RNAseq analysis. Plants cultivated in a hydroponic system supplemented with 2.5 and 10 µM Cr were compared with control plants through transcriptomic analysis after 50 days and for the biomass accumulation and seed yield after senescence.