Differential Cold Stress Intensities Drive Unique Morphological and Transcriptomic Changes in Zea Mays Root Hairs

This study examines the impact of varying cold stress intensities on maize root hairs, revealing that mild cold stress (16°C/12°C) partially inhibits growth with fewer gene expression changes, while severe cold stress (10°C/6°C) completely halts hair elongation and triggers extensive transcriptional changes. Severe cold stress induces peroxidases and alters hormone signaling, repressing key developmental regulators and auxin transporters. The research, involving 30 biological replicates for phenotypic measurements and 5 for RNA analysis, identifies 3,401 differentially expressed genes under mild stress and 5,316 under severe stress. These findings highlight severity-dependent responses, suggesting potential breeding strategies for enhancing maize cold resilience.