Whole transcriptome profiling and water stress study of A. donax by RNA-seq

In this study, first of all, I characterized the transcriptome of A. donax by RNA-Seq, with the primary goal of developing the missing genetic resources that until now hindered the characterization at molecular level and prevented the genetic improvement of A. donax. The transcriptome of different tissues of Arundo were sequenced (Chapter 2). An independent de-novo assembly was carried out. Secondly, based on the first part of my study, and the existing knowledge of water stress response, I characterized the early water stress transcriptional responses in this species, which as the single most important environmental stress for crops can cause severe effects on plant growth rate and biomass accumulation (Chapter 3). Thirdly, to understand better the water stress responses mechanism of Arundineae tribe, a comparative study with P. australis was carried out (Chapter 4).