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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Plant Abiotic Stress

This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Plant Abiotic Stress Research with Integrated Multi-Omics TechnologiesView all 9 articles

Superabsorbent Polymers Seed Coatings Modulate Transcriptomic and Physiological Responses to Drought in Rapeseed

Provisionally accepted
Akram AbdolmalekiAkram Abdolmaleki1,2Hendrik BertramHendrik Bertram1Peter DapprichPeter Dapprich3Elena MeininghausElena Meininghaus4Marc BoelhauveMarc Boelhauve5Michaela SchmitzMichaela Schmitz4Armin Otto SchmittArmin Otto Schmitt2*Mehmet GültasMehmet Gültas1*
  • 1Faculty of Agriculture, Data Science Group, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Iserlohn, Germany
  • 2Breeding Informatics Group, Georg-August University, Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen, Göttingen, Germany
  • 3Faculty of Agriculture, Plant Protection, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Iserlohn, Germany
  • 4Faculty of Agriculture,, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Iserlohn, Germany
  • 5Faculty of Agriculture, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Iserlohn, Germany

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Drought stress is a major constraint on rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) production, particularly during germination and early seedling development, and its impact is intensifying with climate change. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) have emerged as a promising strategy to mitigate water limitation by enhancing moisture availability. This study conducted a comparative analysis of three SAP types, two fossil-based (MERCK, SWT) and one natural-based (ABG), applied via seed coating to evaluate their effects on germination, sodium uptake, total phenol content mitigation, and transcriptomic profiles under drought stress. While all SAPs increased seedling sodium content, the MERCK treatment produced the highest rate of normal germination, the lowest Na+ accumulation, and reduced oxidative stress, closely resembling the well-watered control (CN). Transcriptome sequencing revealed distinct expression profiles across treatments. MERCK seedlings showed expression of key stress-responsive genes (PER45, ABI1, STM) most similar to CN. In contrast, ABG seedlings exhibited significant downregulation of important genes (especially transcription factor (TF) genes) such as WRKY33, MYB77, CIPK17, and STZ, consistent with their poor performance. Functional enrichment analysis indicated the induction of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, antioxidant activity, and hormonal signaling pathways, with MERCK and ABG showing contrasting signatures. These findings demonstrate that SAP composition influences drought adaptation in rapeseed by modulating molecular stress-response pathways. The integration of physiological and transcriptomic analyses not only identifies effective SAP formulations for seed coating but also provides candidate genes to support breeding programs aimed at developing stress-resilient cultivars.

Keywords: Brassica napus, Drought stress, Germination, SAP, seed coating, Stress-responsive genes, Transcriptomics

Received: 23 Sep 2025; Accepted: 22 Jan 2026.

Copyright: © 2026 Abdolmaleki, Bertram, Dapprich, Meininghaus, Boelhauve, Schmitz, Schmitt and Gültas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Armin Otto Schmitt
Mehmet Gültas

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Supplementary Material