Various tomato cultivars display contrasting morphological and molecular responses to a chronic heat stress

Climate change is one of the biggest threats that human society currently needs to face. Heat waves associated with global warming negatively affect plant growth and development and will increase in intensity and frequency in the coming years. Tomato is one of the most produced and consumed fruit in the world but remarkable yield losses occur every year due to the sensitivity of many cultivars to heat stress (HS). New insights into how tomato plants are responding to HS will contribute to the development of cultivars with high yields under harsh temperature conditions. In this study, the analysis of microsporogenesis and pollen germination rate of eleven tomato cultivars after exposure to a chronic HS revealed differences between genotypes. Pollen development was either delayed and/or desynchronized by HS depending on the cultivar considered. In addition, except for two, pollen germination was abolished by HS in all cultivars. The transcriptome of floral buds at two developmental stages (tetrad and pollen floral buds) of five cultivars revealed common and specific molecular responses implemented by tomato cultivars to cope with chronic HS. These data provide valuable insights into the diversity of the genetic response of floral buds from different cultivars to HS and may contribute to the development of future climate resilient tomato varieties.