Journal of Energy Bioscience 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 64-74 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 70 together to maintain the stability of ROS levels (Sahoo et al., 2021). This balance process is also regulated by some signaling pathways, such as the calcium-dependent protein kinase pathway. These pathways enable plants to cope with stress more effectively by regulating the generation and removal of ROS (Ma et al., 2021b). 6 ROS and Potato Stress Tolerance Mechanisms 6.1 ROS-mediated systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in potatoes Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in potato. They act like a signal that triggers the plant's defense response. When pathogens (such as Phytophthora infestans) invade potato, ROS are often one of the first responses. If the potato can express more RBOH-like genes (such as StRbohA), it can produce more ROS at the site of infection. These ROS activate some defense genes and increase defense hormones such as salicylic acid, thereby limiting the spread of the pathogen (Soliman et al., 2021). ROS can also cooperate with other signaling systems. For example, ROS interact with plant hormones (such as salicylic acid SA and jasmonic acid JA) to further regulate defense responses, allowing the potato immune system to be activated quickly and accurately without damaging its own tissues (Xia et al., 2015; Czarnocka and Karpiński, 2018). 6.2 ROS involvement in potato drought and salinity tolerance In drought or high-salt environments, the level of ROS in potatoes will increase. If there are too many ROS and they cannot be removed, they will damage the cells. However, if properly regulated, ROS can also serve as a signal to initiate various protective responses. In sweet potatoes, there is a module called IbBBX24-IbTOE3-IbPRX17, which can help improve the ability to remove ROS, reduce the accumulation of ROS in the body, protect cells from damage, and improve the resistance of plants to drought and salinity (Zhang et al., 2021). The ascorbic acid-glutathione cycle is also important in drought and salt stress. In this cycle, enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidants work together to help remove excess ROS and maintain balance. Some Chinese potato varieties (such as Sreedhara and Subala) show stronger ability to remove ROS and are more resistant to drought and salt stress (Sahoo et al., 2020). These examples show that if you want potatoes to adapt to harsh environments, you have to control ROS. 6.3 ROS interaction with epigenetic changes during stress adaptation in potatoes In addition to being a signaling molecule, ROS can also regulate the epigenetic regulation of potatoes. Simply put, ROS can "indirectly" control which genes should be turned on and which genes should be turned off, which is also important for the plant's ability to resist stress. ROS can regulate the activity of some regulatory proteins related to DNA methylation and histone modification. These modifications can change the way genes are expressed, thereby helping plants better cope with stress (Hu et al., 2024; Li et al., 2024). What's more interesting is that this regulation caused by ROS is sometimes long-term, that is, the plant will "remember" the stress. When the same stress comes again, it can react faster and stronger than before. This "memory" ability is particularly useful for crops such as potatoes that are often affected by environmental changes. (Das and Roychoudhury, 2014; You and Chan, 2015). 7 Advances in ROS Research for Potato Improvement 7.1 Techniques for detecting and measuring ROS in potatoes In recent years, scientists have made a lot of progress in the detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in potatoes. Now many technologies can more clearly see the changes in ROS, especially under different stresses. A common method is to use chloroplast-targeted redox-sensitive green fluorescent protein (roGFP2) for whole-plant imaging. This technology can record the redox state in potato chloroplasts in real time, allowing researchers to understand how ROS changes under conditions such as light and drought (Hipschi et al., 2020). Many people also use quantitative methods to measure ROS, such as measuring the content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or superoxide anion (O2 -). These methods can help analyze how ROS accumulates in key processes such as tuber formation (Lei et al., 2023). Molecular techniques can also be used to look at the expression of related genes, such as qPCR or RNA sequencing. Researchers have analyzed the expression of some ROS-related genes in potato,
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