A novel maspardin protein gene OsMas is involved in salt and drought tolerance in rice

Abstract Drought and salt stresses, as major environmental abiotic stresses in agricultural worldwide, affect plant growth and crop productivity and quality. The development of crops with higher drought and salt tolerance is therefore highly desirable. Here, we reported the isolation and biological function and molecular characterization of a novel maspardin gene, OsMas, from rice cultivar Yangjing 805 (Oryza sativa L.). The expression levels of OsMas were up-regulated under mannitol, PEG6000, NaCl and ABA treatments in rice. Heterologous expression of OsMas enhanced salt and drought tolerance in Escherichia coli and Arabidopsis. Moreover, the OsMas gene was introduced into rice cultivar Zhonghua 11 (wild-type, WT) and the OsMas-overexpression (OsMas-OE) rice plants exhibited significantly enhanced salt and drought tolerance, while the OsMas-interference (OsMas-RNAi) rice plants exhibited decreased tolerance to salt and drought stresses, compared with WT plants. The OsMas-OE plants exhibited enhanced hypersensitive, while the OsMas-RNAi plants showed less sensitive to exogenous ABA treatment at both germination and post-germination stages. The content of ABA, proline and K+ and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and photosynthesis were significantly increased, while the content of malonaldehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion radical (O2-) and Na+ were significantly decreased in OsMas-OE plants compared with OsMas-RNAi and WT plants. Overexpression of OsMas up-regulated the genes involved in ABA biosynthesis and signaling pathways, proline biosynthesis pathway, ROS-scavenging system, photosynthesis and ion transport pathways under salt and drought stresses. Collectively, our results indicate that the OsMas gene functions in improving salt and drought tolerance in rice, which may serve as a candidate gene for use in enhancing the resistance to abiotic stresses in crops.

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OsIAA18, an Aux/IAA Transcription Factor Gene, Is Involved in Salt and Drought Tolerance in Rice

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.738660 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Feibing Wang ◽

Haofei Niu ◽

Dongqing Xin ◽

Yi Long ◽

Guangpeng Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factor ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Constitutive Expression ◽

Ros Scavenging ◽

Transcription Factor Gene ◽

Factor Gene ◽

Rice Plants ◽

Salt And Drought Tolerance ◽

Drought And Salt Tolerance ◽

Salt And Drought Stresses

Auxin/indoleacetic acid (Aux/IAA) proteins play an important regulatory role in the developmental process of plants and their responses to stresses. A previous study has shown that constitutive expression of OsIAA18, an Aux/IAA transcription factor gene of rice improved salt and osmotic tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. However, little work is known about the regulatory functions of the OsIAA18 gene in regulating the abiotic stress tolerance of rice. In this study, the OsIAA18 gene was introduced into the rice cultivar, Zhonghua 11 and the OsIAA18 overexpression in rice plants exhibited significantly enhanced salt and drought tolerance compared to the wild type (WT). Moreover, overexpression of OsIAA18 in rice increased endogenous levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and the overexpression of OsIAA18 in rice plants showed hypersensitivity to exogenous ABA treatment at both the germination and postgermination stages compared to WT. Overexpression of OsIAA18 upregulated the genes involved in ABA biosynthesis and signaling pathways, proline biosynthesis pathway, and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging system in the overexpression of OsIAA18 in rice plants under salt and drought stresses. Proline content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) activities were significantly increased, whereas malonaldehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion radical (O2–) content were significantly decreased in the transgenic plants under salt and drought stresses. Taken together, we suggest that OsIAA18 plays a positive role in drought and salt tolerance by regulating stress-induced ABA signaling. The OsIAA18 gene has a potential application in genetically modified crops with enhanced tolerance to abiotic stresses.

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Morphological and physiological performance of PSB Rc18 lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown at different water, spacing and nutrient management

Annals of Tropical Research ◽

10.32945/atr4127.2019 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 76-99

Author(s):

Ruth Escasinas ◽

Oscar Zamora

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Management ◽

Oryza Sativa L ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Cell Number ◽

Lowland Rice ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Area Index ◽

Physiological Performance ◽

Rice Plants ◽

Continuous Flooding

Rice yield fluctuates because of environmental influences on morphological and physiological processes, as well as inadequate human intervention, to stabilize crop productivity. A field experiment was conducted in two cropping seasons at the experimental area of the Department of Agronomy, Visayas State University, Baybay, Leyte to evaluate the morphological and physiological performance of lowland rice grown at different water, spacing and nutrient management. Different sources of fertilizers were designated as the mainplot and plant spacing as the subplot nested within two water regimes, ie, continuous flooding and no flooding. Lowland rice s under no flooding were shorter than those under plant continuous flooding. No flooding gave higher root pulling resistance, crop growth rate, net assimilation rate, leaf area index and harvest index and consequently produced higher grain yield of PSB Rc18. No flooding and continuous flooding water management resulted in the formation of aerenchyma cells in roots of rice plants which had statistically similar cell number and measurement. Wider spacing of 40cmx40cm gave the highest RPR. Water, spacing and nutrient management did not influence the phyllochron and total number of leaves on the main culm of PSB Rc18. However, PSB Rc18 at early growth stages tended to have longer phyllochron because of transplanting shock. No flooding, application of composted goat manure and closer spacing of 20cmx20cm is the best treatment combination that g ve similar yield to rice plants a applied with inorganic fertilizer at the rate of 90-30-30kg ha-1 N, P2O5, K2O.

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Acquired Traits Contribute More to Drought Tolerance in Wheat Than in Rice

Plant Phenomics ◽

10.34133/2020/5905371 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Preethi Vijayaraghavareddy ◽

Ramu S. Vemanna ◽

Xinyou Yin ◽

Paul C. Struik ◽

Udayakumar Makarla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Wheat Cultivar ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Moisture Stress ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Carbon Gain ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Rice Cultivars ◽

Ros Scavenging

Drought tolerance is governed by constitutive and acquired traits. Combining them has relevance for sustaining crop productivity under drought. Mild levels of stress induce specific mechanisms that protect metabolism when stress becomes severe. Here, we report a comparative assessment of “acquired drought tolerance (ADT)” traits in two rice cultivars, IR64 (drought susceptible) and Apo (tolerant), and a drought-tolerant wheat cultivar, Weebill. Young seedlings were exposed to progressive concentrations of methyl viologen (MV), a stress inducer, before transferring to a severe concentration. “Induced” seedlings showed higher tolerance and recovery growth than seedlings exposed directly to severe stress. A novel phenomic platform with an automated irrigation system was used for precisely imposing soil moisture stress to capture ADT traits during the vegetative stage. Gradual progression of drought was achieved through a software-controlled automated irrigation facility. This facility allowed the maintenance of the same level of soil moisture irrespective of differences in transpiration, and hence, this platform provided the most appropriate method to assess ADT traits. Total biomass decreased more in IR64 than in Apo. The wheat cultivar showed lower levels of damage and higher recovery growth even compared to Apo. Expression of ROS-scavenging enzymes and drought-responsive genes was significantly higher in Apo than in IR64, but differences were only marginal between Apo and Weebill. The wheat cultivar showed significantly higher stomatal conductance, carbon gain, and biomass than the rice cultivars, under drought. These differences in ADT traits between cultivars as well as between species can be utilised for improving drought tolerance in crop plants.

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Overexpression of OsRLCK241 confers enhanced salt and drought tolerance in transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Gene ◽

10.1016/j.gene.2020.145278 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 768 ◽

pp. 145278

Author(s):

Hui Zhang ◽

Niu Zhai ◽

Xiang Ma ◽

Huina Zhou ◽

Yanchun Cui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oryza Sativa ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Transgenic Rice ◽

Oryza Sativa L ◽

Salt And Drought Tolerance

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The NAC-type transcription factor CaNAC46 regulates the salt and drought tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

BMC Plant Biology ◽

10.1186/s12870-020-02764-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jing Ma ◽

Li-yue Wang ◽

Jia-xi Dai ◽

Ying Wang ◽

Duo Lin

Keyword(s):

Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽

Transcription Factor ◽

Transcription Factors ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Lateral Roots ◽

High Salt ◽

Wild Type ◽

Ros Scavenging ◽

Drought And Salt Stresses

Abstract Background The NAC (NAM, ATAF1/ATAF2, and CUC2) transcription factors belong to a large family of plant-specific transcription factors in monocot and dicot species. These transcription factors regulate the expression of stress tolerance-related genes that protect plants from various abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, and low temperatures. Results In this study, we identified the CaNAC46 transcription factor gene in Capsicum annuum. Its open reading frame was revealed to comprise 921 bp, encoding a protein consisting of 306 amino acids, with an isoelectric point of 6.96. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that CaNAC46 belongs to the ATAF subfamily. The expression of CaNAC46 was induced by heat, cold, high salt, drought, abscisic acid, salicylic acid, and methyl jasmonate treatments. Thus, CaNAC46 may be important for the resistance of dry pepper to abiotic stresses. A subcellular localization analysis confirmed that CaNAC46 is localized in the nucleus. The overexpression of CaNAC46 improved the tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants to drought and salt stresses. The CaNAC46-overexpressing lines had longer roots and more lateral roots than wild-type lines under prolonged drought and high salt stress conditions. Additionally, CaNAC46 affected the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, CaNAC46 promoted the expression of SOD, POD, RD29B, RD20, LDB18, ABI, IAA4, and P5CS. The malondialdehyde contents were higher in TRV2-CaNAC46 lines than in wild-type plants in response to drought and salt stresses. Furthermore, the expression levels of stress-responsive genes, such as ABA2, P5CS, DREB, RD22, CAT, and POD, were down-regulated in TRV2-CaNAC46 plants. Conclusions Under saline and drought conditions, CaNAC46 is a positive regulator that activates ROS-scavenging enzymes and enhances root formation. The results of our study indicate CaNAC46 is a transcriptional regulator responsible for salinity and drought tolerance and suggest the abiotic stress-related gene regulatory mechanisms controlling this NAC transcription factor are conserved between A. thaliana and pepper.

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Morphological and physiological performance of PSB Rc18 lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown at different water, spacing and nutrient management

Annals of Tropical Research ◽

10.32945/4127.2019 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 76-99

Author(s):

Ruth Escasinas ◽

Oscar Zamora

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Management ◽

Oryza Sativa L ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Cell Number ◽

Lowland Rice ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Area Index ◽

Physiological Performance ◽

Rice Plants ◽

Continuous Flooding

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A Novel Role of Pipecolic Acid Biosynthetic Pathway in Drought Tolerance through the Antioxidant System in Tomato

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10121923 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1923

Author(s):

Ping Wang ◽

Qian Luo ◽

Weicheng Yang ◽

Golam Jalal Ahammed ◽

Shuting Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

Antioxidant System ◽

Drought Resistance ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Critical Role ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Pipecolic Acid ◽

Antioxidant Systems ◽

Critical Element

With global warming and water shortage, drought stress is provoking an increasing impact on plant growth, development, and crop productivity worldwide. Pipecolic acid (Pip) is an emerging lysine catabolite in plants, acting as a critical element in disease resistance with a related signal pathway of phytohormone salicylic acid (SA). While SA plays a vital role in various abiotic stresses, the role of Pip in plant response to abiotic stresses, especially drought, remains largely unknown. To address this issue, Pip biosynthetic gene Slald1 mutants and hydroxylated modification gene Slfmo1 mutants were generated using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing approaches. Drought resistance dramatically increased in Slald1 mutants compared with wild-type, which was associated with increased CO2 assimilation, photosystems activities, antioxidant enzymes activities, ascorbate and glutathione content, and reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation. On the contrary, Slfmo1 mutants were more sensitive to drought, showing damaged photosystems and impaired antioxidant systems, which were significantly alleviated by exogenous ascorbate. Our results demonstrate that Pip biosynthesis and hydroxylated modification pathways play a critical role in drought tolerance through the antioxidant system in tomato. This knowledge can be helpful to breed improved crop cultivars that are better equipped with drought resistance.

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Jasmonates and Plant Salt Stress: Molecular Players, Physiological Effects, and Improving Tolerance by Using Genome-Associated Tools

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22063082 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 3082

Author(s):

Celia Delgado ◽

Freddy Mora-Poblete ◽

Sunny Ahmar ◽

Jen-Tsung Chen ◽

Carlos R. Figueroa

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Antioxidant Response ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Point Of View ◽

Physiological Effects ◽

Crop Tolerance ◽

Molecular Components ◽

Ja Signaling

Soil salinity is one of the most limiting stresses for crop productivity and quality worldwide. In this sense, jasmonates (JAs) have emerged as phytohormones that play essential roles in mediating plant response to abiotic stresses, including salt stress. Here, we reviewed the mechanisms underlying the activation and response of the JA-biosynthesis and JA-signaling pathways under saline conditions in Arabidopsis and several crops. In this sense, molecular components of JA-signaling such as MYC2 transcription factor and JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN (JAZ) repressors are key players for the JA-associated response. Moreover, we review the antagonist and synergistic effects between JA and other hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA). From an applied point of view, several reports have shown that exogenous JA applications increase the antioxidant response in plants to alleviate salt stress. Finally, we discuss the latest advances in genomic techniques for the improvement of crop tolerance to salt stress with a focus on jasmonates.

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Revisiting Sulphur—The Once Neglected Nutrient: It’s Roles in Plant Growth, Metabolism, Stress Tolerance and Crop Production

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11070626 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 626

Author(s):

Tinashe Zenda ◽

Songtao Liu ◽

Anyi Dong ◽

Huijun Duan

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Plant Phenotyping ◽

Special Importance ◽

Nutrient Deficiencies ◽

Sulphur Nutrition ◽

Physiological Processes

Sulphur plays crucial roles in plant growth and development, with its functions ranging from being a structural constituent of macro-biomolecules to modulating several physiological processes and tolerance to abiotic stresses. In spite of these numerous sulphur roles being well acknowledged, agriculture has paid scant regard for sulphur nutrition, until only recently. Serious problems related to soil sulphur deficiencies have emerged and the intensification of food, fiber, and animal production is escalating to feed the ever-increasing human population. In the wake of huge demand for high quality cereal and vegetable diets, sulphur can play a key role in augmenting the production, productivity, and quality of crops. Additionally, in light of the emerging problems of soil fertility exhaustion and climate change-exacerbated environmental stresses, sulphur assumes special importance in crop production, particularly under intensively cropped areas. Here, citing several relevant examples, we highlight, in addition to its plant biological and metabolism functions, how sulphur can significantly enhance crop productivity and quality, as well as acclimation to abiotic stresses. By this appraisal, we also aim to stimulate readers interests in crop sulphur research by providing priorities for future pursuance, including bettering our understanding of the molecular processes and dynamics of sulphur availability and utilization in plants, dissecting the role of soil rhizospherical microbes in plant sulphur transformations, enhancing plant phenotyping and diagnosis for nutrient deficiencies, and matching site-specific crop sulphur demands with fertilizer amendments in order to reduce nutrient use inefficiencies in both crop and livestock production systems. This will facilitate the proper utilization of sulphur in crop production and eventually enhance sustainable and environmentally friend food production.

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Spermine: Its Emerging Role in Regulating Drought Stress Responses in Plants

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10020261 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 261

Author(s):

Md. Mahadi Hasan ◽

Milan Skalicky ◽

Mohammad Shah Jahan ◽

Md. Nazmul Hossain ◽

Zunaira Anwar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Defense Mechanisms ◽

Antioxidant Defense ◽

Severe Drought ◽

New Information ◽

Effects Of Drought

In recent years, research on spermine (Spm) has turned up a lot of new information about this essential polyamine, especially as it is able to counteract damage from abiotic stresses. Spm has been shown to protect plants from a variety of environmental insults, but whether it can prevent the adverse effects of drought has not yet been reported. Drought stress increases endogenous Spm in plants and exogenous application of Spm improves the plants’ ability to tolerate drought stress. Spm’s role in enhancing antioxidant defense mechanisms, glyoxalase systems, methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification, and creating tolerance for drought-induced oxidative stress is well documented in plants. However, the influences of enzyme activity and osmoregulation on Spm biosynthesis and metabolism are variable. Spm interacts with other molecules like nitric oxide (NO) and phytohormones such as abscisic acid, salicylic acid, brassinosteroids, and ethylene, to coordinate the reactions necessary for developing drought tolerance. This review focuses on the role of Spm in plants under severe drought stress. We have proposed models to explain how Spm interacts with existing defense mechanisms in plants to improve drought tolerance.

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