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Volume 14
Issue 9
10.3390/plants14091313
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Unveiling the Cold Acclimation of Alfalfa: Insights into Its Starch-Soluble Sugar Dynamic Transformation

by
Lin Zhu
1,2,
Zhiyong Li
1,2,
Xiaoqing Zhang
1,2,
Guomei Yin
3,
Siqi Liu
1,2,
Jinmei Zhao
1,2,*,
Ying Yun
1,2,
Maowei Guo
1,2 and
Jiaqi Zhang
1,2
1
Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot 010011, China
2
Key Laboratory of Forage Resources and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010010, China
3
Institute of Grassland Research, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1313; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091313 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 25 March 2025 / Revised: 23 April 2025 / Accepted: 23 April 2025 / Published: 26 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Management during Plant Acclimation to Abiotic Stresses)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a globally distributed economic legume crop used for forage and ecological restoration. We aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying the cold acclimation observed in this species. Our results for fall plant growth showed that non-dormant alfalfa (SD) maintained a vigorous growth rate compared to that of fall-dormant alfalfa (ZD); however, the winter survival rate of ZD was higher than that of SD. Among the ZD samples, the starch content first accumulated and then decreased; the sucrose content was consumed first along with simultaneous raffinose accumulation, which was followed by sucrose content accumulation, with consistent changes in the corresponding related synthase and hydrolase activity. SD exhibited the opposite trend. The transcriptome data showed that most of the differentially expressed genes were involved in carbon metabolism (ko01200), amino acid biosynthesis (ko01230), and starch and sucrose metabolism (ko00500). Our data clearly show that alfalfa’s cold acclimation mechanism is a complex process, with the establishment of stable carbon homeostasis; sucrose is first converted into starch and raffinose, and then, starch is converted into sucrose, which enables alfalfa’s cold resistance. The process is accompanied by CBF/DREB1A TF regulation. This study provides important insights into the cold acclimation mechanisms of alfalfa.
Keywords: alfalfa; fall dormancy; field cold acclimation; saccharide transformation; transcriptome alfalfa; fall dormancy; field cold acclimation; saccharide transformation; transcriptome

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhu, L.; Li, Z.; Zhang, X.; Yin, G.; Liu, S.; Zhao, J.; Yun, Y.; Guo, M.; Zhang, J. Unveiling the Cold Acclimation of Alfalfa: Insights into Its Starch-Soluble Sugar Dynamic Transformation. Plants 2025, 14, 1313. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091313

AMA Style

Zhu L, Li Z, Zhang X, Yin G, Liu S, Zhao J, Yun Y, Guo M, Zhang J. Unveiling the Cold Acclimation of Alfalfa: Insights into Its Starch-Soluble Sugar Dynamic Transformation. Plants. 2025; 14(9):1313. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091313

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhu, Lin, Zhiyong Li, Xiaoqing Zhang, Guomei Yin, Siqi Liu, Jinmei Zhao, Ying Yun, Maowei Guo, and Jiaqi Zhang. 2025. "Unveiling the Cold Acclimation of Alfalfa: Insights into Its Starch-Soluble Sugar Dynamic Transformation" Plants 14, no. 9: 1313. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091313

APA Style

Zhu, L., Li, Z., Zhang, X., Yin, G., Liu, S., Zhao, J., Yun, Y., Guo, M., & Zhang, J. (2025). Unveiling the Cold Acclimation of Alfalfa: Insights into Its Starch-Soluble Sugar Dynamic Transformation. Plants, 14(9), 1313. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091313

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