Plant Stress最新文献

{"title":"Effects of organic and bacterial fertilizer application on cabbage characteristic and rhizosphere soil microorganisms","authors":"Caixia Sun ,&nbsp;Liping Chen ,&nbsp;Yuhong Liu ,&nbsp;Weiran Zheng ,&nbsp;Yumei Hua ,&nbsp;Qiaoyan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing demand for high quality fertilizer, which is being driven by human nutrition demand and agricultural soil protection, necessitates sustainable alternatives to be used as vegetable production. Thus, utilizing biochar (BC), bacterial fertilizer and their combination with organic fertilizer (OF) could be a sustainable approach. In our research work, OF, BC, liquid bacterial fertilizer (LB), and solid bacterial fertilizer (SB) were used to investigate different fertilizer combinations. Greenhouse field experiment was conducted to compare different fertilizer application and their effects on cabbage biomass, cabbage characteristics and soil physical and chemical properties. The results showed that combined application OF, BC, and LB promoted cabbage growth and resulted in the highest yield of 16.6 kg/m². The vitamin C content was highest at 48.4 mg/kg with the combined application OF, BC, and SB treatment. The combined application OF, BC, and SB achieved the best overall comprehensive evaluation for cabbage biomass weight, vitamin C content, and total sugar content. The combined application OF and a bacterial fertilizer improved soil properties, while the addition of BC reduced the soil nutrient content. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) analysis showed that volatile organic compounds from cabbages were mainly esters, alcohols, acids, acetates, aldehydes, and ketones. These results provide a comprehensive understanding of different fertilizer applications and their effects on cabbage quality and rhizosphere soil.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101008"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of exogenous melatonin in conferring tolerance to cadmium toxicity of Lycium barbarum: Oxidative stress, physiological and gene expression analysis","authors":"Gaier Yang ,&nbsp;Jiadong Wang ,&nbsp;Xuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Kai Feng ,&nbsp;Bo Zhang ,&nbsp;Guoli Dai ,&nbsp;Linyuan Duan ,&nbsp;Xiang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cadmium impairs plant growth and fruit quality; the stress-tolerant medicinal woody plant <em>Lycium barbarum</em> could remediate Cadmium-contaminated soils, but its Cadmium-response mechanisms remain unknown. This study applied different concentrations of cadmium ions to L. <em>barbarum</em> spikes under hydroponic conditions, with exogenous melatonin added, to investigate the phenotypic, physiological and molecular regulatory mechanisms. Results showed cadmium stress inhibited L. <em>barbarum</em> growth, reduced chlorophyll content and increased MDA, POD and SOD content. Melatonin treatment alleviated these effects and activated antioxidant enzyme activity. Transcriptome analysis revealed melatonin significantly affected genes related to plant hormone signal transduction and MAPK signaling pathways, especially auxin pathway and key cadmium tolerance genes like <em>PP2C-2, AUX1–4, MPK8–5, MYC2–7</em> and <em>WRKY33–2</em>, inhibiting cadmium ion transport and accumulation in L. <em>barbarum</em>. Three core transcription factors <em>AP2–56, AP2–136</em> and <em>bHLH-125</em> regulated cadmium accumulation by regulating gene expression. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified a MEyellow module highly correlated with cadmium content change, with genes like Lba03g01205 involved in the response. Thanks for the valuable comments. For the first time in a woody plant, <em>Lycium barbarum</em>, this study demonstrates that melatonin alleviates cadmium stress via the MAPK–hormone signalling network, elucidating the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying enhanced cadmium tolerance and offering a novel strategy for cadmium-resistant breeding of L. <em>barbarum</em> and bioremediation of cadmium-contaminated soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101011"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144989200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Truncated OsVHA-c promotes drought stress tolerance in rice","authors":"Andriele Wairich,&nbsp;Lin-Bo Wu,&nbsp;Michael Frei","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rice is extremely sensitive to drought, a major abiotic stress that critically affects crop yield. Vacuolar-type <em>H</em>⁺-ATPases (v-ATPases) are ATP-dependent proton pumps responsible for energizing secondary transport processes. Genes encoding different v-ATPases subunits have been implicated in responses to abiotic stresses. Nevertheless, there are no reports on the role of <em>OsVHA-c</em> in drought tolerance in rice. In this study, we generated truncated <em>OsVHA-c</em> lines (Δ<em>OsVHA-c</em>) using CRIPSR-Cas9 technology and overexpression lines in Nipponbare (<em>Oryza sativa</em>) background to investigate the physiological and molecular involvement of <em>OsVHA-c</em> under drought stress. Compared to wildtype, the Δ<em>OsVHA-c</em> lines demonstrated enhanced drought stress tolerance, exhibiting no senescence in younger leaves, higher CO₂ assimilation rates and water use efficiency, and lower oxidative stress, without developmental penalties. Furthermore, changes in ionomic composition indicated altered ion homeostasis in the Δ<em>OsVHA-c</em> lines. These lines also exhibited a higher stomatal density, although the stomata were smaller. This characteristic could potentially enable more efficient stomatal movement and a faster response to drought stress. A gene involved in the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate, a molecule that is essential for vacuolar convolution, was identified as down-regulated in Δ<em>OsVHA-c</em> lines, possibly impairing the fragmentation of a few large vacuoles into multiple small vesicles. Our findings showed that truncated OsVHA-c enhanced the drought stress tolerance in rice plants, likely due to a combined effect of the morphological, physiological, and metabolic alterations. These results provide a promising avenue in adaptive breeding to global climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101021"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A bio-based approach to produce inducers of plant defense responses through fermentation of agri-food waste biomass with white rot fungi","authors":"Erika Bellini ,&nbsp;Riccardo Lorrai ,&nbsp;Andrea Tonanzi ,&nbsp;Mariachiara Ferrara ,&nbsp;Nadia Tosolini ,&nbsp;Giulio Bile ,&nbsp;Francesco della Rocca ,&nbsp;Simone Ferrari","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To protect crops against microbial diseases, intensive agriculture heavily relies on pesticides, that can have a negative impact on human health and on the environment and can lead to the emergence of resistant pathogen strains. There is therefore an urgent need of novel products for crop protection, that are safe, eco-friendly, inexpensive and effective. Elicitors, plant- and microbe-derived compounds able to induce plant defense responses, represent a promising strategy towards achieving a sustainable agriculture. We developed a protocol to produce a heat stable elicitor complex by fermentation of agro-industrial byproducts with the white rot fungus <em>Phanerochaete chrysosporium</em>. A pasteurized culture filtrate of the fungus grown on orange peel waste as the sole carbon source (PhaOP) induces defense responses and increased resistance to the fungal pathogen <em>Botrytis cinerea</em> in the model plant <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>. PhaOP-induced resistance to Botrytis is dependent on jasmonate-mediated signalling and on indole compounds but is largely independent of camalexin production and of ethylene-mediated responses. Notably, PhaOP can reduce <em>B. cinerea</em> symptoms also in different Solanaceae crop species and does not significantly affect fruit production in tomato plants, suggesting that it could be employed for crop protection without yield penalty.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101020"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Streptomyces longbaonensis sp. nov., a novel actinomycete from an alpine meadow that enhances plant salt tolerance via antioxidative and osmotic regulation","authors":"Benyin Zhang ,&nbsp;Xin Xiang ,&nbsp;Xiaolan Ma ,&nbsp;Liang Chen ,&nbsp;Jiao Li ,&nbsp;Chenghang Sun ,&nbsp;Hengxia Yin","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil salinization poses a significant threat to plant growth and agricultural yield. Harnessing the potential of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) emerges as a promising strategy to bolster plant development and enhance tolerance to salt stress. In the present investigation, a novel actinomycete strain Qhu-M48, derived from alpine meadow soil on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, was subjected to comprehensive taxonomic characterization. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene revealed that strain Qhu-M48 shared the highest sequence similarity (99.63 %) with <em>Streptomyces exfoliatus</em> NRRL B-2924^T However, genome-based taxonomic indices, including dDDH (37.80 %) and ANI (88.88 %), clearly delineate Qhu-M48 as representing a novel species within the genus <em>Streptomyces</em>. Accordingly, the name <em>Streptomyces longbaomeadowicum</em> sp. nov. is proposed for this novel taxon. Whole-genome analysis uncovered 31 BGCs producing secondary metabolites, along with an extensive repertoire of genes linked to plant growth-promoting traits. Functional evaluation demonstrated that Qhu-M48 significantly promoted the growth of oat and sainfoin seedlings under salt conditions, as evidenced by improved biomass, shoot and root length, relative water content, and photosynthetic efficiency. Biochemical assays indicated that Qhu-M48 enhanced salt tolerance in sainfoin by elevating the activities of antioxidant enzymes, promoting the accumulation of osmoprotectants, and alleviating oxidative stress, as evidenced by reduced levels of peroxides. Collectively, this study describes the comprehensive characterization of a novel actinomycete species endowed with robust plant growth-promoting and salt stress-mitigating properties, offering a promising microbial resource for the development of salt-tolerant bioinoculants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101018"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular insights into fusaric acid-induced cellular damage and hormonal modulation in watermelon suspension cells","authors":"Xiaoqing Wang ,&nbsp;Zhuoying Ding ,&nbsp;Yu Gao ,&nbsp;Huapeng Sun ,&nbsp;Muhammad Mubashar Zafar ,&nbsp;Xuefei Jiang ,&nbsp;Fei Qiao ,&nbsp;Muhammad Shahzaib","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Watermelon (<em>Citrullus lanatus</em>), a key global crop in the Cucurbitaceae family, is significantly impacted by wilt disease caused by <em>Fusarium oxysporum</em>. This study used suspension-cultured watermelon cells to examine the physiological and molecular effects of fusaric acid (FA), a major phytotoxin produced by the pathogen, at final concentrations of 0, 50, 100, 200, and 300 μM. The 100 μM FA treatment, used for most assays, reduced fresh cell weight by ∼52 %, decreased packed cell volume by ∼70 %, and more than doubled malondialdehyde (MDA) content, indicating severe lipid peroxidation. Antioxidant enzyme activities showed differential responses: superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity declined significantly at both 2 h and 24 h, peroxidase (POD) remained largely unchanged, and catalase (CAT) showed no significant variation. FA exposure also caused a progressive increase in extracellular pH and conductivity, reflecting loss of membrane integrity. Pretreatment with exogenous plant hormones (IAA, MeJA, ABA, SA; 100 μM each for 12 h) mitigated several FA-induced effects, with SA showing the greatest recovery in fresh weight and most pronounced reduction of POD activity. Transcriptome profiling revealed thousands of FA-responsive genes within 2–24 h, and inhibition of DNA methylation with 5-azacytidine altered the expression of multiple hormone-related genes. These results demonstrate that FA rapidly impairs growth, membrane stability, and antioxidant defense in watermelon cells, and that targeted hormonal and epigenetic interventions can partially counteract these effects. The findings provide a mechanistic basis for developing priming strategies to enhance watermelon resistance to Fusarium wilt.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101019"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heat tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings requires functional DMS3, a component of de novo methylation","authors":"Sandra Vitko ,&nbsp;Mirta Tokić ,&nbsp;Silvia Braun ,&nbsp;Thorsten Brehm ,&nbsp;Iva Pavlović ,&nbsp;Fabio Fiorani ,&nbsp;Ondřej Novák ,&nbsp;Nataša Bauer ,&nbsp;Dunja Leljak-Levanić ,&nbsp;Željka Vidaković-Cifrek","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The protein Defective in RNA-directed DNA Methylation 3 (DMS3) is part of RNA-directed DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism involved in the regulation of plant development and stress response. However, the specific role of the DMS3 protein in thermotolerance remains unclear. To determine how altered <em>DMS3</em> expression and functionality affects thermotolerance, <em>DMS3</em>-overexpressor (<em>oeDMS3</em>), <em>DMS3</em>-mutant (<em>dms3-1</em>) and wild-type <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> seedlings were heat-treated and analyzed, focusing on morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular changes. The <em>dms3-1</em> line showed the highest thermosensitivity after short-term exposure to 45 °C for 45 min. However, both <em>dms3-1</em> and <em>oeDMS3</em> showed a greater reduction in morphological traits compared to wild type after exposure to 40 °C for 6 h. Hormonal profiling showed that the <em>dms3-1</em> and <em>oeDMS3</em> lines had similar hormonal profiles characterized by lower jasmonate levels compared to wild type, both under stress and control conditions. The heat-stressed <em>dms3-1</em> line contained increased cytokinin levels predominantly in the form of ribosides, and also accumulated inactive auxin metabolites. Exposure to 37 °C for 24 h destabilized and altered the localization of the DMS3 protein in the root tissue. After exposure to 37 °C for 6 h, the <em>dms3-1</em> line showed a delayed recovery of reduced photosynthetic efficiency, accompanied by a partial activation of the antioxidant system and increased proline content. Under control conditions, <em>dms3-1</em> plants exhibited reduced growth and lower expression of RuBisCO, HSP90 and HSP70 proteins. Overall, our results suggest a crucial role of DMS3 in thermotolerance, hormone balance, antioxidant defense and photosynthetic efficiency, indicating the importance of a functional and balanced DMS3 protein for thermotolerance and for plant growth and development under control conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101013"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145003797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green nanoparticles in agriculture: Enhancing crop growth and stress tolerance","authors":"Jiang YingYing ,&nbsp;Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian ,&nbsp;Sungkwon Park ,&nbsp;Asha Anand ,&nbsp;Arun Meyyazhagan ,&nbsp;Manikantan Pappusamy ,&nbsp;Kuppusamy Alagesan Paari ,&nbsp;Hesam Kamyab ,&nbsp;Shreeshivadasan Chelliapan","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid rise in demand for sustainable agriculture has fueled interest in innovative, eco-friendly approaches to enhance productivity amid climate change and environmental stressors. Among recent advances, green nanoparticles, nanomaterials synthesised via biological routes, have emerged as promising agents for promoting crop productivity and mitigating abiotic and biotic stresses. Plant-mediated nanoparticles, such as metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, have highlighted their roles as a promising alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers and pesticides, due to their superior effectiveness, minimal toxicity, and eco-friendly nature. The physicochemical properties and the mechanisms by which green nanoparticles improve nutrient use efficiency, stimulate plant hormonal dynamics, and bolster antioxidative defense systems. The impacts of green nanoparticles on germination, root and shoot elongation, photosynthetic efficiency, and nutrient assimilation are well discussed, showcasing their potential in yield enhancement and vegetative growth. Furthermore, this review also elucidates their function in modulating oxidative stress, activating defense pathways, and conferring tolerance against drought, salinity, heavy metals, and pathogen attacks by influencing plant physiological, molecular, and metabolic responses. By integrating recent findings, this review highlights the dual advantage of green nanoparticles: enhancing crop productivity while minimizing environmental footprint. The challenges related to nanoparticle biosafety, large-scale application, and regulatory frameworks are also addressed. The article concludes by outlining future research directions aimed at harnessing green nanotechnology to achieve sustainable crop production and global food security.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101017"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145003914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insights into the salt stress response of allotetraploid Brassica napus from epigenetic modification and expression changes","authors":"Fanzhe Kong ,&nbsp;Yafang Xiao ,&nbsp;Jiangfeng Li ,&nbsp;Jianbo Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polyploid plants are widely recognized that have superior advantages in abiotic stress responses, yet the complexity of epigenetic regulation networks mediating stress response mechanisms persists as an unresolved issue. Salt stress poses persistent challenges to global crop productivity through ionic toxicity and osmotic imbalance. Evidence reveals that epigenetic modifications play a critical role in gene regulation under salt stress. Genome-wide profiles of DNA methylation and histone modification landscapes were analyzed in <em>Brassica napus</em> under salt stress, then combined them with the RNA-seq data to uncover the mechanism of polyploid plants in response to abiotic stress. Our study set a control group and four treatment groups subjected to salt stress for 0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h respectively. A total of 5540, 1414, 3541, and 1444 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified among four comparable groups, with the majority of them exhibiting preference to A_n subgenome. In contrast, differential epigenetic modifications tend to be distributed on the C_n subgenome, with methylation level decreased and histone modification level increased after salt stress. Transposable elements generally regulated genes expression by inserting over 80% of DEGs, accompanied with impacts on epigenetic modifications. These findings highlight the substantial effect of epigenetic modifications on gene expression, indicating <em>B. napus</em> had unique regulation strategies under different periods of salt stress. Subgenomes also exhibited relatively independent functions under salt stress, in which A_n subgenome was more active in expression changes and more conserved in epigenetic modifications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101016"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144925948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Brassinosteroid seed priming positively affects leaf anatomy and gas exchanges in a salt-sensitive sorghum genotype exposed to salt stress","authors":"Alice Peduzzi ,&nbsp;Diego Piacentini ,&nbsp;Simone D'Angeli ,&nbsp;Lorenzo Maria Iozia ,&nbsp;Laura Varone ,&nbsp;Francesco Amato ,&nbsp;Maria Maddalena Altamura ,&nbsp;Giuseppina Falasca","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2025.101014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil salinity is threatening the cultivation of major cereal crops worldwide. Sorghum is a promising alternative to other cereals for both human and animal nutrition. This is due to the nutritional characteristics of its caryopses and its natural ability to grow in marginal environments, characterized by various stresses, including salinity. However, stress tolerance varies among sorghum genotypes, highlighting the need for technologies to enhance salinity resilience. Phytohormone seed priming is a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach to improve horticultural crops environmental stress tolerance as well as plant growth and vigour. Among phytohormones, brassinosteroids (BRs), when used as primed seed agents, have been shown to enhance morpho-anatomical and physiological defences against abiotic stress in various crops. However, further research is needed to understand their role as seed priming agent in restoring photosynthesis affected by salt stress, especially in salt-sensitive sorghum genotypes. Thus, this study evaluated the effects of seed priming with 24-epibrassinolide (24-eBL), a bioactive BR precursor on Bianca and Tonkawa, salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive genotypes, respectively, grown for 44 days in pots under 150 mM NaCl. The results demonstrate that seed priming with 1 µM 24-eBL for 8 h restores growth in Tonkawa but not in Bianca, by inducing anatomical leaf adaptations, such as restoration of mesophyll and substomatal air spaces, regulation of bulliform cell area, and modifications in cuticle thickness without altering its chemical composition. Overall, 24-eBL seed priming mitigates salt stress effects in the salt-sensitive genotype by improving leaf anatomy, which in turn improves photosynthetic efficiency and ultimately promotes biomass recovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 101014"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144933051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}