Shoot transcriptome and co-expression network analysis of African rice cultivars identify drought-tolerance hub genes and growth stage-dependent trade-offs
) showed the highest correlation with the shoot and root fresh weight. Functional enrichment analyses of APO and hub genes revealed that most of the DEGs were associated with phytohormone signalling, transcription factors, carbohydrate metabolism and drought response genes, suggesting their key role in drought tolerance mechanisms. These transcriptional units may not only serve as potential targets for functional validation but also function as molecular markers for drought tolerance at the early-developmental stages, which is critical for successful crop establishment in stressful paddy environments.
Authors
- Isaac Tawiah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3850-8064)
- Shailesh Yadav (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3060-5348)
- Geoffrey Onaga
- Aboubacar Touré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9422-8983)
- Mawuli Aziadekey
- Rossana Henriques (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9394-0098)
- Nana Kofi Abaka Amoah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9507-2186)
- Kossi Lorimpo Adjah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6635-9022)
- Maxwell Darko Asante (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6002-6331)
- Raafat El-Namaky
- Komi Agboka
Institutions
- University College Cork (IE)
- Sustainability Institute (ZA)
- West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (GH)
- Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (ML)
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (GH)
- University of Lomé (TG)
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ML)
- Africa Rice Center (CI)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Plant Science
- Published
- 2026-04-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1802527
- Primary Topic
- Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00