With the intensification of the greenhouse effect and the continuous rise of global temperature, high temperatures in summer seriously affect the growth of green onion (Allium fistulosum L.var.caespitosum Makino) and reduce its yield and quality. It is important to study the mechanism of heat tolerance in green onion for selecting and breeding new varieties with high-temperature tolerance. In this study, we used the heat-tolerant green onion variety AF60 and heat-sensitive green onion variety AF35 and measured their physiological indexes under different durations of heat stress. The results showed that high-temperature stress adversely affected the water content, protein composition and antioxidant system of green onion. In addition, a comprehensive analysis using transcriptomics and metabolomics showed that heat-tolerant green onions responded positively to heat stress by up-regulating the expression of heat shock proteins, whereas heat-sensitive green onions responded to heat stress by activating the galactose metabolic pathway and maintained normal physiological activities. This study revealed the physiological performance and high-temperature response pathways of different heat-tolerant green onion cultivars under heat stress. The results further deepen the understanding of the molecular mechanism of green onion's heat stress response.
© 2023 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.