Dose-dependent gibberellic acid and benzylaminopurine priming coordinates transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming, enhancing photochemical efficiency to confer drought tolerance in pigeonpea.

Dose-dependent application of gibberellic acid and benzylaminopurine enhances photosynthesis and metabolic stability, conferring drought tolerance in pigeonpea with a 33.2% increase in PSII efficiency.

• Why it matters: Drought stress impairs plant growth and productivity by disrupting photosynthesis and metabolic balance, highlighting the need for strategies to improve crop resilience under changing climate conditions.
• What they did: Researchers applied varying doses of GA3 and 6-BAP individually and together to pigeonpea under drought conditions, using physiological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses to assess effects.
• The result: The combined 0.4 mM GA3+6-BAP treatment significantly improved photosynthetic efficiency, restored key metabolites, and altered gene expression related to stress signaling, enabling better drought tolerance.