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Article

Physiological and Transcriptomic Mechanisms Underlying Vitamin C-Mediated Cold Stress Tolerance in Grafted Cucumber

1
School of Breeding and Multiplication,Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication, Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China
2
Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Tropical Agriculture and Forestry College, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
3
Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152398 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 23 June 2025 / Revised: 16 July 2025 / Accepted: 31 July 2025 / Published: 2 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change)

Abstract

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) are highly sensitive to cold, but grafting onto cold-tolerant rootstocks can enhance their low-temperature resilience. This study investigates the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which exogenous vitamin C (Vc) mitigates cold stress in grafted cucumber seedlings. Using cucumber ‘Chiyu 505’ as the scion and pumpkin ‘Chuangfan No.1’ as the rootstock, seedlings were grafted using the whip grafting method. In the third true leaf expansion stage, seedlings were foliar sprayed with Vc at concentrations of 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg L−1. Three days after initial spraying, seedlings were subjected to cold stress (8 °C) for 3 days, with continued spraying. After that, morphological and physiological parameters were assessed. Results showed that 150 mg L−1 Vc treatment was most impactive, significantly reducing the cold damage index while increasing the root-to-shoot ratio, root vitality, chlorophyll content, and activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT). Moreover, this treatment enhanced levels of soluble sugars, soluble proteins, and proline compared to control. However, 200 mg L−1 treatment elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) content, indicating potential oxidative stress. For transcriptomic analysis, leaves from the 150 mg L−1 Vc and CK treatments were sampled at 0, 1, 2, and 3 days of cold stress. Differential gene expression revealed that genes associated with photosynthesis (LHCA1), stress signal transduction (MYC2-1, MYC2-2, WRKY22, WRKY2), and antioxidant defense (SOD-1, SOD-2) were initially up-regulated and subsequently down-regulated, as validated by qRT-PCR. Overall, we found that the application of 150 mg L−1 Vc enhanced cold tolerance in grafted cucumber seedlings by modulating gene expression networks related to photosynthesis, stress response, and the antioxidant defense system. This study provides a way for developing Vc biostimulants to enhance cold tolerance in grafted cucumbers, improving sustainable cultivation in low-temperature regions.
Keywords: grafted cucumber seedlings; low-temperature stress; vitamin C; transcriptome analysis grafted cucumber seedlings; low-temperature stress; vitamin C; transcriptome analysis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yu, P.; Wang, J.; Zhang, X.; Weng, Z.; Huo, K.; Yi, Q.; Wu, C.; Kumar, S.; Gao, H.; Fu, L.; et al. Physiological and Transcriptomic Mechanisms Underlying Vitamin C-Mediated Cold Stress Tolerance in Grafted Cucumber. Plants 2025, 14, 2398. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152398

AMA Style

Yu P, Wang J, Zhang X, Weng Z, Huo K, Yi Q, Wu C, Kumar S, Gao H, Fu L, et al. Physiological and Transcriptomic Mechanisms Underlying Vitamin C-Mediated Cold Stress Tolerance in Grafted Cucumber. Plants. 2025; 14(15):2398. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152398

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yu, Panpan, Junkai Wang, Xuyang Zhang, Zhenglong Weng, Kaisen Huo, Qiuxia Yi, Chenxi Wu, Sunjeet Kumar, Hao Gao, Lin Fu, and et al. 2025. "Physiological and Transcriptomic Mechanisms Underlying Vitamin C-Mediated Cold Stress Tolerance in Grafted Cucumber" Plants 14, no. 15: 2398. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152398

APA Style

Yu, P., Wang, J., Zhang, X., Weng, Z., Huo, K., Yi, Q., Wu, C., Kumar, S., Gao, H., Fu, L., Chen, Y., & Zhu, G. (2025). Physiological and Transcriptomic Mechanisms Underlying Vitamin C-Mediated Cold Stress Tolerance in Grafted Cucumber. Plants, 14(15), 2398. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152398

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