Drought Recovery Induced Immunity Confer Pathogen Resistance

Rain-fed crops are subjected to cycles of drought and re-watering. Thus, efficient recovery from drought may be among the key determinants in the success of these crops. We performed a single-nucleus transcriptome analysis of plants recovering from drought and profiled >126,000 single-nuclei transcriptomes, to reveal the immediate cell-type-specific responses that occur upon recovery. Our findings reveal that transcriptional drought recovery is an active and rapid process involving activating over 3000 recovery-specific genes. We found that upon rehydration, there is a rapid microbial-autonomic induction of the immune system. We termed this response drought recovery-induced immunity (DRII). We found that the DRII response manifests in sub-populations of epidermal, trichome, and mesophyll cells immediately following rehydration. Finally, inoculation assays with Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 demonstrated that DRII increases pathogens resistance. Since rehydration increases microbial proliferation and thus, the risk for infection, the rapid DRII response may be crucial for plant survival in water-fluctuating environments.