Overexpression of OsNAR2.1 by OsNAR2.1 promoter increases drought resistance by increasing the expression of OsPLDα1 in rice

pOsNAR2.1:OsNAR2.1 expression could significantly increase nitrogen uptake efficiency and grain yield of rice. This study reported the effects of overexpression of OsNAR2.1 by OsNAR2.1 promoter on physiological and agronomic traits associated with drought tolerance. In comparison to the wild-type (WT), the pOsNAR2.1:OsNAR2.1 transgenic lines exhibited a significant improvement in survival rate when subjected to drought stress and then irrigation. Under limited water supply conditions, compared with WT, the photosynthesis and water use efficiency (WUE) of transgenic lines were increased by 39.2