Exogenous melatonin improves the salt tolerance of cotton by removing active oxygen and protecting photosynthetic organs.

BMC Plant Biol

State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation/Key Laboratory of Crop Growth regulation of Hebei Province/College of Agronomy, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001, Hebei, China.

Published: July 2021

Background: As damage to the ecological environment continues to increase amid unreasonable amounts of irrigation, soil salinization has become a major challenge to agricultural development. Melatonin (MT) is a pleiotropic signal molecule and indole hormone, which alleviates the damage of abiotic stress to plants. MT has been confirmed to eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS) by improving the antioxidant system and reducing oxidative damage under adversity. However, the mechanism by which exogenous MT mediates salt tolerance by regulating the photosynthetic capacity and ion balance of cotton seedlings still remains unknown. In this study, the regulatory effects of MT on the photosynthetic system, osmotic modulators, chloroplast, and anatomical structure of cotton seedlings were determined under 0-500 μM MT treatments with salt stress induced by treatment with 150 mM NaCl.

Results: Salt stress reduces the chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO concentration, transpiration rate, PSII photochemical efficiency, PSII actual photochemical quantum yield, the apparent electron transfer efficiency, stomata opening, and biomass. In addition, it increases non-photochemical quenching. All of these responses were effectively alleviated by exogenous treatment with MT. Exogenous MT reduces oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation by reducing salt-induced ROS and protects the plasma membrane from oxidative toxicity. MT also reduces the osmotic pressure by reducing the salt-induced accumulation of Na and increasing the contents of K and proline. Exogenous MT can facilitate stomatal opening and protect the integrity of cotton chloroplast grana lamella structure and mitochondria under salt stress, protect the photosynthetic system of plants, and improve their biomass. An anatomical analysis of leaves and stems showed that MT can improve xylem and phloem and other properties and aides in the transportation of water, inorganic salts, and organic substances. Therefore, the application of MT attenuates salt-induced stress damage to plants. Treatment with exogenous MT positively increased the salt tolerance of cotton seedlings by improving their photosynthetic capacity, stomatal characteristics, ion balance, osmotic substance biosynthetic pathways, and chloroplast and anatomical structures (xylem vessels and phloem vessels).

Conclusions: Our study attributes help to protect the structural stability of photosynthetic organs and increase the amount of material accumulation, thereby reducing salt-induced secondary stress. The mechanisms of MT-induced plant tolerance to salt stress provide a theoretical basis for the use of MT to alleviate salt stress caused by unreasonable irrigation, fertilization, and climate change.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8272334PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12870-021-03082-7DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

salt stress
20
salt tolerance
12
cotton seedlings
12
reducing salt-induced
12
salt
8
tolerance cotton
8
photosynthetic organs
8
stress
8
oxidative damage
8
photosynthetic capacity
8

Similar Publications

Isolation, structure analysis and expression characterization of the Hexokinase gene family in .

3 Biotech

January 2025

Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Regional Plant Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement (CTGU)/Biotechnology Research Center, Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443000 Hubei China.

Unlabelled: Hexokinases (HXK) not only facilitate carbohydrate metabolism but also play important roles in sugar sensing in higher plants. gene families have been extensively discussed in many plant species; however, comprehensive information regarding in sorghum remains unclear. To address this gap, we identified 7 putative sorghum ( to ), and the features of their conserved domains, gene structure, evolutionary tree, and cis-acting elements were systematically characterized to reveal the evolutionary conservation between different plant species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study has evaluated different soybean genotypes to understand the salt and drought tolerance mechanisms based on physiological traits (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll, and cell membrane stability), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase), reactive oxygen species (HO and O ), osmolytes (glycine betaine, proline, and Na/K), plant water relations (relative water content, water potential, and solute potential) and expression of related genes (, , , , , , , and ). The experiment was conducted in a two-factorial arrangement using randomized complete block design (RCBD) with genotypes as one factor and salt, drought, and control treatments as the other factor. All physiological traits, relative water content, and water potential decreased significantly in all soybean genotypes due to individual and combined treatments of drought and salt stress, with significantly less decrease in soybean genotypes G4620RX, DM45X61, and NARC-21.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We herein investigated the effects of salt (NaCl) stress on soybean nodulation by rhizobial strains. We specifically exami-ned: (1) the effects of NaCl on nodule maturity and positioning by inoculating three rhizobial strains (Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA110, Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA31, and Sinorhizobium fredii USDA191) onto soybean variety CNS, (2) the effects of the NaCl treatment on isoflavones (daidzein and genistein) secretion by CNS, (3) the effects of the NaCl treatment on gene expression induced by daidzein and genistein in rhizobia, and (4) the effects of the NaCl treatment on rhizobial growth. The results obtained were as follows: (1) the NaCl treatment delayed nodule development and reduced nodulation on the primary root following the USDA110 inoculation, minimal sensitivity regarding nodule formation in the USDA 31 inoculation, and significantly increased the mature nodule number and nodules on the primary root following the USDA 191 inoculation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the role of root phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in the salt tolerance of perennial ryegrass.

BMC Plant Biol

December 2024

State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P.R. China.

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a widely cultivated forage and turf grass species. Salt stress can severely damage the growth of grass plants. The genome-wide molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance have not been well understood in perennial grass species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The role of trehalose metabolism in plant stress tolerance.

J Adv Res

December 2024

College of Forestry and Grasslands, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Tree and Grass Genetics and Breeding, Jilin Agriculture University, Changchun 130118, China. Electronic address:

Background: Trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide containing two glucose molecules linked through an α,α-1,1-glycosidic bond. This unique chemical structure causes trehalose levels to fluctuate significantly in plants under stress, where it functions as an osmoprotectant, enhancing plant resistance to stress. Previous studies have confirmed that the trehalose synthesis pathway is widely conserved across most plants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!