Transcriptome analysis of response to drought in poplar interspecific hybrids

To investigate the response of poplar hybrids to drought, leaves were collected from plants to which water was suspended for 8 and 13 days. After measuring the respective relative water content, RNAs were isolated from leaves of moderately and severely droughted plants and from control plants, and Illumina RNA sequencing was performed to analyze RNA synthesis in these tissues. Our data provide a resource (available at Gene Expression Omnibus database under GSE64044) to be employed for comparative analyses of drought response in different poplar species, with the long-term aim of developing strategies to improve plant productivity under drought.