Exogenous Melatonin Improves the Growth of Rice Seedlings by Regulating Redox Balance and Ion Homeostasis Under Salt Stress

AbstractAegilops cylindrica Host is one of the most salt-tolerant species in the Triticeae tribe. Amphidiploid plants derived from hybridization of ‘Roshan’ × Aegilops cylindrica and ‘Chinese Spring’ × Ae. cylindrica genotypes contrasting in salt tolerance were assessed for their morpho-physiological responses and the expression patterns of two genes related to ion homeostasis under 250 mM NaCl. Results showed that salt stress caused significant declines in both their morphological and phenological traits. Moreover, salt stress reduced not only their chlorophyll content but also their root and shoot K contents and K/Na ratios, while it led to significant enhancements in the remaining traits. Similar to Ae. cylindrica, the amphidiploids subjected to salt stress exhibited significantly higher H2O2 levels, root and shoot K contents, and root and shoot K/Na ratios accompanied by lower root and shoot Na contents and MDA concentrations when compared with the same traits in the wheat parents. Quantitative Real-Time PCR showed significant differential expression patterns of the NHX1 and HKT1;5 genes between the amphidiploids and their parents. The transcript level of HKT1;5 was found to be higher in the roots than in the shoots of both the amphidiploids and Ae. cylindrica while NHX1 exhibited a higher expression in the shoot tissues. The consistency of these data provides compelling support for the hypothesis that active exclusion of Na from the roots and elevated vacuolar sequestration of Na in the leaves might explain the declining Na levels in the shoots and roots of both the amphidiploids and Ae. cylindrica relative to those measured in wheat parents. It is concluded that the hybridized amphiploids are potentially valuable resources for salt improvement in bread wheat through the backcrossing approach.

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The Biochemical Mechanisms of Salt Tolerance in Plants

10.5772/intechopen.101048 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julio Armando Massange-Sánchez ◽

Carla Vanessa Sánchez-Hernández ◽

Rosalba Mireya Hernández-Herrera ◽

Paola Andrea Palmeros-Suárez

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Membrane Damage ◽

Ion Homeostasis ◽

Antioxidant Compounds ◽

Plant Tolerance ◽

Ros Scavenging ◽

Dna Structures ◽

Biochemical Mechanisms ◽

Scavenging Enzymes

Salinity is one of the most severe environmental problems worldwide and affects plant growth, reproduction, and crop yields by inducing physiological and biochemical changes due to osmotic and ionic shifts in plant cells. One of the principal modifications caused by osmotic stress is the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which cause membrane damage and alter proteins, DNA structures, and photosynthetic processes. In response, plants increase their arsenal of antioxidant compounds, such as ROS scavenging enzymes and nonenzymatic elements like ascorbate, glutathione, flavonoids, tocopherols, and carotenoids, and their rates of osmolyte synthesis to conserve ion homeostasis and manage salt stress. This chapter describes the principal biochemical mechanisms that are employed by plants to survive under salt-stress conditions, including the most recent research regarding plant tolerance, and suggests strategies to produce valuable crops that are able to deal with soil salinity.

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