Acta Physiologiae Plantarum最新文献

{"title":"Assessment of the xenobiotic effects of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid + 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid and bromoxynil + 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid herbicides in wheat","authors":"Sommayeh Abbasyan,&nbsp;Seyedali Peyghambari,&nbsp;Mohhamad-Reza Bihamta,&nbsp;Reza Maali-Amiri,&nbsp;Hassan Alizade","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03755-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03755-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Herbicides are xenobiotic compounds. To investigate the xenobiotic effects of foliar herbicide consumption and plant response over time, two commercial selective herbicides (bromoxynil + 2,4-D (H₁), 2,4-D + 2-MCPA (H₂), and the control (zero, H₀)) were applied to seven Iranian wheat genotypes at 50% tillering. The biochemical traits were measured at six-time intervals (0–30th days after treatment). Morphological traits were measured on the 30th day after treatment. The results showed that the applied treatments significantly affected all the measured traits (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Therefore, these traits can be considered screening responses to xenobiotic stress caused by herbicides. For the first time, qualitative Bendict’s reagent quantification and estimation of the proximate content of sucrose as well as the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid reagent showed significant variation among genotypes. The change in the treated sample compared to H₀ showed that the effects of stress started at least 30 min after treatment. Consequently, the tolerant plants recovered on the 30th day after treatment. Clustering of the 20 measured traits showed that height, specific leaf weight, and chlorophyll <i>a</i> content could be selected as indicator traits for genotype screening. The genotypes were classified into three groups (sensitive, semi-sensitive, and tolerant) based on indicator traits. The maximum H₂O₂ concentration (a biochemical indicator of the occurrence of stress) was 980.5 µg at 30 min after treatment with H₂ and 735.1 µg on 1th day after treatment with H₁. Finally, the genotypes showed greater sensitivity to the combination herbicide from two biochemical groups of the same type (H₂) than did those from different groups (H₁).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of drought and cucumber mosaic virus infection on the physiological responses and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)","authors":"I. O. Adebara,&nbsp;A. O. Adediji,&nbsp;S. A. Adejumo","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03756-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03756-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>As climate change continues to negatively influence cropping seasons and patterns especially in Africa, field crops are constantly exposed to simultaneous environmental and biotic stresses. Constraints, such as drought and virus infections, occurring either as individual or combined stresses, limit cowpea production. In this study, we investigated the responses of two cowpea varieties with contrasting cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) susceptibilities, ‘Ife-Brown’ (highly susceptible) and ‘IT97K-1042-3’ (moderately susceptible), simultaneously exposed to varying drought regimes and CMV infection. The cowpea plants were mechanically inoculated with CMV nine days after planting and exposed to three levels of water stress (zero, six and 12 days of water stress) at 3 weeks after planting. Data on vegetative and yield parameters, biomass, canopy temperature, chlorophyll and proline contents were collected. The effects of CMV infection alone on cowpea growth and yield parameters were greater than those of drought stress alone, while the combination of CMV and water deficit was more deleterious than the individual treatments. Conversely, six days of water stress improved the growth and yield of both cowpea varieties. Between the two varieties, ‘Ife-Brown’ outperformed ‘IT97K-1042-3’ in terms of growth and biomass accumulation. However, the canopy temperature increased with the number of days of water stress although the values were not statistically different from the control plants. Variations in proline accumulation were observed more positively correlated with drought than with CMV infection. A greater proline content was detected in cowpea exposed to severe drought than in plants subjected only to CMV infection. Combined drought and virus stress reduced cowpea yields while ‘Ife-Brown’ was more tolerant than ‘IT97K-1042-3’. Comparing the effects of CMV infection and drought on both cowpea varieties, ‘Ife-Brown’ had greater vegetative parameters, biomass accumulation and yield than ‘IT97K-1042-3’. The effects of drought and virus infection on cowpea plants, within the context of climate change, are discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) mitigated the alkaline stress changes in the growth and physio-biochemical performance of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings","authors":"Babar Iqbal,&nbsp;Arshad Jalal,&nbsp;Naveed Ahmad,&nbsp;Mohammad K. Okla,&nbsp;Hamada Abd Elgawad,&nbsp;Mohamed A. El-Tayeb,&nbsp;Abdel-Rhman Z. Gaafar,&nbsp;Guanlin Li,&nbsp;Daolin Du","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03759-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03759-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) is a synthetic plant hormone, considered to promote plant growth under optimal and stressful conditions. However, its role in regulating the response of crop species, including maize, to alkaline stress (AS) remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of exogenous NAA application (160 mg/L) on growth, antioxidant potential, nitrogen assimilation, and ion regulation in maize seedlings subjected to different levels of alkaline stress (0, 30, 60, and 90 mM [1:1 ratio of Na₂CO₃ and NaHCO₃]). We observed that increased alkaline stress) levels significantly increased the concentration of Na⁺, Cl⁻, H₂O₂, and malondialdehyde (MDA), but reduced K⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions compared to control (CK) maize seedlings. Furthermore, glycine betaine, proteins, proline, sugar, and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and catalase) were significantly increased, while NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ metabolizing enzymes (nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase, and glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase) were significantly reduced. AS induced a negative impact on maize seedlings, which was highly dependent on the concentration of exogenous NAA. Where NAA application reduced Na⁺, Cl⁻, H₂O₂, and MDA levels, but increased K⁺, enriched organic solutes, antioxidant enzyme potential, and N metabolism, and ameliorated stress damage under AS conditions. Conclusively, the NAA application mitigated the adverse effects of AS on maize seedlings. Consequently, it might be an effective strategy for improving morpho-physiological performance in alkalinity-prone areas. However, future molecular studies should examine whether NAA can positively alter maize nutrient composition and thus help resolve nutritional problems in developing countries suffering from alkaline soil.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Different species of Tillandsia can be biomonitors of carbon and nitrogen emissions: the case of a tropical metropolitan area in Mexico","authors":"Paula E. Tirado-Zamora,&nbsp;Yareni Perroni,&nbsp;Edison A. Díaz−Álvarez","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03762-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03762-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Air pollution affects human health and ecosystems all over the world. However, little attention is paid to its monitoring in tropics, mainly due to the high costs of automated monitoring systems. Biomonitoring may be an alternative, particularly for species of <i>Tillandsia</i> genus, although most species are not yet calibrated for this purpose. Therefore, 1) to determine the biomonitoring potential of <i>T. juncea</i> and <i>T. schiedeana</i> and, 2) to compare the sources and magnitudes of atmospheric pollutants at five urban parks and one rural site in a tropical metropolitan area in Mexico, we measured the elemental and isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen of four <i>Tillandsia</i> species. Carbon content was consistent across sites and species with no differences. The nitrogen content showed a clear trend of increasing from rural to urban areas, with significantly higher values observed in urban environments. The more negative δ¹³C values were recorded in urban parks, while less negative values were recorded in rural areas, reflecting differences in environmental CO₂ sources. Similarly, δ¹⁵N values were more negative in rural sites and shifted toward positive values in urban areas, showing the influence of anthropogenic nitrogen sources. These highlight the different environmental conditions across the rural and urban landscape. The four species can be used as biomonitors of C and N emissions, since their specific variations reflect the source and concentration of these atmospheric pollutants. Furthermore, the tillandsias showed that pollution in the metropolitan area is different depending on the activity at each site.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Selenium agronomic biofortification and genotypic variability in physiological responses of cowpea plants under field conditions","authors":"Elcio Ferreira Santos,&nbsp;Eduardo Comparsi Filho,&nbsp;Luiz Eduardo Morais Fernandes Fontes,&nbsp;Mateus Andrey Pires Silva,&nbsp;Gutierres Nelson Silva,&nbsp;Alexandre Alonso Oliveira,&nbsp;Maurisrael de Moura Rocha,&nbsp;Vinícius Martins Silva,&nbsp;André Rodrigues Reis","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03769-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03769-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Despite its importance as a vital nutrient for animals and humans, selenium (Se) deficiency in plants and human diets is a significant concern due to its low soil concentrations. Cowpea (<i>Vigna unguiculata</i>), a resilient crop widely cultivated in developing nations, shows potential for agronomic biofortification with Se. However, its genotypic diversity and ability to improve essential element uptake are often overlooked in breeding programs. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Se biofortification in 20 cowpea genotypes, specifically examining the physiological responses related to photosynthetic pigments in leaves, nitrogen compounds, and sugar concentration in grains. Results revealed that Se application led to an increased cowpea yield. Additionally, all genotypes exhibited elevated sucrose and total sugar concentrations in grains, along with increased photosynthetic pigment levels in leaves upon Se supplementation. Notably, the application of Se resulted in increased allantoin, allantoic acid, and total ureide concentrations in all genotypes with highest yield, indicating enhanced nitrogen fixation in cowpea plants by Se in this genotype. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential of Se biofortification to improve the nutritional quality of cowpea grains by increasing Se and sugar concentrations, ultimately enhancing crop yields through improved nitrogen metabolism. This information can guide future breeding programs aimed at enhancing cowpea grain quality and nutritional value through biofortification strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of green and chemically synthesized ZnO nanoparticles on Capsicum annuum under drought stress","authors":"Aysin Guzel Deger,&nbsp;Sertan Çevik,&nbsp;Oskay Kahraman,&nbsp;Ersan Turunc,&nbsp;Ayşegül Yakin,&nbsp;Rıza Binzet","doi":"10.1007/s11738-025-03767-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-025-03767-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nanoparticle applications have recently become a popular method due to increase the tolerance levels of plants to environmental stresses. In this study, changes induced by exogenous application of green synthesized and commercially purchased zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) (100, 500, 1000 mg/L) to drought-stressed <i>Capsicum annuum</i> plants were studied through comprehensive morphologic, anatomic, physiological and biochemical analyzes. While drought decreased relative water content (RWC) and leaf water potential (LWP), it increased proline, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content and antioxidant enzyme activities. Exogenous ZnO NPs increased RWC and LWP but they decreased TBARS and proline contents in drought-stressed plants. Furthermore, the data obtained in this study revealed that the response of the antioxidant enzyme varies depending on the concentration of the nanoparticles and the type of synthesis. However, green synthesized ZnO NPs applications (100 and 500 mg/L) were found to be much more effective in reducing the adverse effects of drought stress than those synthesized chemically. The results of this study indicated that although the response of <i>Capsicum annuum</i> plants to ZnO NPs applications varied according to the type and concentration under drought conditions, nanoparticle applications did not lead to a consistent stress response.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11738-025-03767-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143109144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ZmWRKY17 negatively regulates salt tolerance through ABA signaling pathway in maize","authors":"Zhongxian Ma,&nbsp;Yue Jia,&nbsp;Wanchang Huang,&nbsp;Hao Wu,&nbsp;Xiu Fang,&nbsp;Qing Ma,&nbsp;Ronghao Cai","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03763-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03763-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) is an important cereal crop worldwide, but production is constrained by salt stress, which disrupts plant cell nutrient metabolism, leading to diminished growth and yield. Therefore, the mining of salt-tolerance genes and breeding of new salt-tolerant germplasm is crucial for improvement of maize yield. In this study, <i>ZmWRKY17</i> (<i>Zm00001d004086</i>) overexpression and mutant lines were exposed to 250-mM and 300-mM NaCl, respectively, for 7 days. Exposed to salt stress, the overexpression lines produced significantly more malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide than the control line, accompanied by an increased rate of superoxide anion production and relative electrolyte leakage. The mutant line had a higher percentage survival, higher leaf relative water content, and lower cellular damage under extreme salt stress. According to these findings, ZmWRKY17 appears to have a negative regulatory effect on maize salt tolerance. In addition, under salt stress, <i>ZmWRKY17</i> overexpression plants accumulated more abscisic acid (ABA) than the control plants. The root of <i>ZmWRKY17</i> overexpression plants showed reduced sensitivity to ABA. Based on the results of transcriptome analysis, two candidate genes, <i>Zm00001d016105</i> (<i>ZmPYL10</i>) and <i>Zm00001d016294</i> (<i>ZmPYL3</i>), were screened for regulation by <i>ZmWRKY17</i>. The dual-luciferase experiments demonstrated that ZmWRKY17 binds to the promoter regions of <i>ZmPYL10</i> and <i>ZmPYL3</i>, thereby regulating the expression of downstream genes. In conclusion, this study indicates that ZmWRKY17 is involved in regulating the expression of ABA receptor genes <i>ZmPYL10</i> and <i>ZmPYL3</i> to reduce the sensitivity of plants to ABA and, ultimately, negatively regulate plant salt tolerance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142939221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Melatonin induces endoreduplication through oxidative DNA damage triggering lateral root formation in onions","authors":"Sukhendu Maity,&nbsp;Rajkumar Guchhait,&nbsp;Kousik Pramanick","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03764-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03764-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study reports the potential ability of melatonin (Mel) to induce endoreduplication, which may have connections with lateral root formation. Mel induces the lateral root formation in onions in a dose-dependent manner with the highest root forming potential at 50 µM Mel (Mel_2). ROS generation in this dose was significantly higher than the control and a low-dose (5 µM) Mel group (Mel_1), where no lateral roots were observed. Co-treatment of ascorbic acid (AsA) with Mel in the Mel_2 + AsA group can effectively scavenge the Mel_2 induced ROS, resulting in a reduced number of lateral roots in this co-treatment group. These results indicate the connections between the ROS level and the lateral root formation. An increase in DNA content was also observed in the Mel_2 group consistent with the level of ROS-induced DNA damage, suggesting the possible link between ROS-induced DNA damage, endoreduplication, and lateral root formation. The results of gene expression analysis also support the said linkage, where melatonin-induced ROS and DNA damage could initiate the endoreduplication cycle in a dose-dependent manner. The IAA (Indole acetic acid) analysis indicates that IAA accumulation, in the zone of differentiation due to auxin bio-synthesis, triggers lateral root formation in this region in corroboration with endoreduplication and ROS.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142939137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short-term application of melatonin can partially restore the mineral balance in heavy-metal treated Amaranthus cruentus var. ‘Pribina’","authors":"Júlia Hunková,&nbsp;Veronika Lancíková,&nbsp;Andrea Hricová,&nbsp;Marián Tomka,&nbsp;Jana Kačírová","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03761-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03761-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>An excess amount of particular metal ions can cause nutrient imbalance and inhibit plant growth and development. In this preliminary study, the short-term (2 weeks) and long-term (6 weeks) application was carried out to investigate the potential ameliorative effect of foliar application of melatonin and reveal the changes in ion profiles of grain amaranth <i>Amaranthus cruentus</i> var. ‘Pribina’ treated with Cd, Zn, and Mn. Nine elements (Ca, K, Mg, Na, Cu, Fe, Cd, Zn, Mn) were examined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometry. Different ionomic responses were observed in root and shoot tissues. The results showed that Cu, K, Mn and Na were the most affected elements, which significantly changed after heavy metal applications<i>.</i> Application of Zn had the most prominent effect on the alternations in ion concentrations. In addition, short-term melatonin supplementation reduced Cd and Mn root-to-shoot translocation. No marked changes were recorded between short-term and long-term applications, indicating that short-term use is sufficient for restoring the mineral balance, albeit not for all elements.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11738-024-03761-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142912855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Calligonum mongolicum employs a variety of physiological and biochemical strategies to acclimatize to hyperarid saline deserts","authors":"Abd Ullah,&nbsp;Akash Tariq,&nbsp;Jordi Sardans,&nbsp;Corina Graciano,&nbsp;Fanjiang Zeng,&nbsp;Javaria Noor,&nbsp;Zhihao Zhang,&nbsp;Xutian Chai,&nbsp;Zeeshan Ahmed,&nbsp;Josep Peñuelas","doi":"10.1007/s11738-024-03757-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11738-024-03757-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p>The shift in tolerance mechanisms from antioxidant to osmotic adjustments in <i>Calligonum mongolicum</i>, resulting in high seedling survival rates under progressively increasing saline stress, indicates the plant’s suitability for desert restoration and revegetation programs.</p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>Salinity is a significant barrier to vegetation renewal in the nutrient-limited saline and hyperarid Taklamakan desert. Using a pot experiment, we evaluated the growth and physiological responses of <i>Calligonum mongolicum</i> seedlings to saline stress (0, 50, 150, and 300 mM). The survival rate, root length, shoot length, and chlorophyll a content significantly reduced under 150 mM and 300 mM salinity compared with the control. Additionally, plant height, total biomass, and chlorophyll b content showed significant reductions across all salinity stress levels. Conversely, the chlorophyll a/b ratio increased with increasing salinity concentrations, indicating that salinity may adversely affect Chl b more than Chl a (p &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, significant increases were observed in Na⁺, H₂O₂, and TBARS, whereas K⁺/Na⁺, K⁺, NO₃⁻, and NH₄⁺ decreased with increased stress levels. Under all treatments, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities were upregulated, whereas glutamate synthase was decreased, and glutamine synthase was unaffected. Nitrate reductase activity was significantly reduced under 300 mM salinity. Moreover, significant increases were observed in proline under medium and high stress and in soluble protein under all stress levels, while soluble sugars were only increased under high stress. Our findings suggest <i>Calligonum</i> seedlings may sacrifice biomass production to maintain their anti-stress mechanisms. Increasing salinity concentrations may cause an increase in energy expenditure for antioxidant enzymes (at 50–150 mM) and osmotic adjustment (at 150–300 mM). Based on univariate and multivariate analyses, <i>Calligonum</i> seedlings subjected to low salinity can grow and survive without substantial changes in their functionality. Consequently, <i>Calligonum</i> seedlings may be utilized in vegetation renewal efforts in the Taklamakan desert to combat desertification under climate change scenarios.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6973,"journal":{"name":"Acta Physiologiae Plantarum","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142912828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}