Heat stress transcription factor DcHsfA1d isolatedfrom Dianthus caryophyllus enhances thermotoleranceand salt tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis

Higher plants may encounter a variety of environmental stresses, such as extreme temperatures, drought and salinity, and therefore have formed an effective defence mechanism to adapt to the unfavourable conditions (Scharf et al. 2012). High temperatures (heat stress) negatively influence plant growth and development as well as compromise crop yield (Mittler et al. 2012, Ding et al. 2020). Plants express heat shock proteins (Hsps) in response to various abiotic stresses. Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) act as a terminal component of the signal transduction pathway and regulate the expression of Hsps and other heat-responsive transcripts (Ohama et al. 2017).