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Agronomy
Volume 16
Issue 2
10.3390/agronomy16020139
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Article

Deciphering the Mechanisms Underlying Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Autotetraploid Apple ‘Redchief’: Physiological, Biochemical, Molecular, and Anatomical Insights

by
Monika Działkowska
,
Danuta Wójcik
*,
Krzysztof Klamkowski
,
Agnieszka Marasek-Ciołakowska
and
Małgorzata Podwyszyńska
The National Institute of Horticultural Research, Konstytucji 3 Maja 1/3 Str., 96-100 Skierniewice, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2026, 16(2), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16020139
Submission received: 18 December 2025 / Revised: 31 December 2025 / Accepted: 1 January 2026 / Published: 6 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Under the Abiotic Stress)
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Abstract

It is generally believed that plant polyploids exhibit greater tolerance to abiotic stress conditions than their diploid counterparts. The aim of the present research was to investigate the mechanisms underlying enhanced drought tolerance in the autotetraploid apple ‘Redchief’ as compared to its diploid counterpart. The study was conducted on potted plants over two growing seasons, and simulated drought conditions were induced by limiting or withholding irrigation. Under drought stress, the responses of the clone ‘Redchief’ 4x-25 and its diploid counterpart were compared at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. In addition, changes in leaf anatomical structure, stomatal characteristics, and parameters related to growth dynamics were examined in drought-challenged plants. The results indicate that apple tetraploids have a greater ability to adapt to water-deficit conditions than diploids. Under drought stress, apple tetraploids exhibited better physiological and biochemical parameters and maintained a greater capacity for continued growth than diploids. We propose that the primary mechanism underlying the increased drought tolerance in apple tetraploids is a faster and more efficient activation of antioxidant defenses and proline accumulation compared to diploids. The high plasticity of anatomical traits in apple tetraploids in response to adverse environmental conditions was also demonstrated.
Keywords: polyploidization; abiotic stress; gas exchange; antioxidant enzymes; proline; gene expression; leaf anatomy polyploidization; abiotic stress; gas exchange; antioxidant enzymes; proline; gene expression; leaf anatomy

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MDPI and ACS Style

Działkowska, M.; Wójcik, D.; Klamkowski, K.; Marasek-Ciołakowska, A.; Podwyszyńska, M. Deciphering the Mechanisms Underlying Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Autotetraploid Apple ‘Redchief’: Physiological, Biochemical, Molecular, and Anatomical Insights. Agronomy 2026, 16, 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16020139

AMA Style

Działkowska M, Wójcik D, Klamkowski K, Marasek-Ciołakowska A, Podwyszyńska M. Deciphering the Mechanisms Underlying Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Autotetraploid Apple ‘Redchief’: Physiological, Biochemical, Molecular, and Anatomical Insights. Agronomy. 2026; 16(2):139. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16020139

Chicago/Turabian Style

Działkowska, Monika, Danuta Wójcik, Krzysztof Klamkowski, Agnieszka Marasek-Ciołakowska, and Małgorzata Podwyszyńska. 2026. "Deciphering the Mechanisms Underlying Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Autotetraploid Apple ‘Redchief’: Physiological, Biochemical, Molecular, and Anatomical Insights" Agronomy 16, no. 2: 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16020139

APA Style

Działkowska, M., Wójcik, D., Klamkowski, K., Marasek-Ciołakowska, A., & Podwyszyńska, M. (2026). Deciphering the Mechanisms Underlying Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Autotetraploid Apple ‘Redchief’: Physiological, Biochemical, Molecular, and Anatomical Insights. Agronomy, 16(2), 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16020139

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