Fig. 6

Transcriptional changes of genes responsible for K⁺-deficiency tolerance in sweetpotato cv. Xu32 and cv. NZ1. The heatmap shows the gene ID numbers and expression patterns of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in photosynthesis, glucose metabolism (starch and sucrose metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, the hormone transduction pathway, or encoding transporter proteins and radical oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzymes in both sweetpotato cultivars. The associated metabolites are shown in orange boxes, and the blue arrows denote the upstream/downstream relationships in the K⁺-deficiency stress response pathway. For transporters, the black arrow direction denotes the transportation direction of K⁺, H⁺, H₂O, and other ions