Mitigation of Salinity Stress Effects on Broad Bean Productivity Using Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles Application

Water salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses, and the use of saline water for the agricultural sector will incur greater demand in the coming decades. Recently, nanoparticles (NPs) have been used for developing numerous plant fertilizers as a smart and powerful form of material with dual action that can alleviate the adverse effects of salinity and provide the plant with more efficient nutrient forms. This study evaluated the influence of calcium phosphate NPs (CaP-NPs) as a soil fertilizer application on the production and bioactive compounds of broad bean plants under salinity stress. Results showed that salinity had deleterious effects on plant yield with 55.9% reduction compared to control. On the other hand, CaP-NPs dramatically improved plant yield by 30% compared to conventional fertilizer under salinity stress. This improvement could be attributed to significantly higher enhancement in total soluble sugars, antioxidant enzymes, proline content, and total phenolics recorded use of nano-fertilizer compared to conventional use under salt stress. Additionally, nano-fertilizer reflected better mitigatory effects on plant growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, and oxidative stress indicators (MDA and H2O2). Therefore, our results support the replacement of traditional fertilizers comprising Ca2+ or P with CaP-nano-fertilizers for higher plant productivity and sustainability under salt stress.

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Silicon ameliorates the adverse effects of salt stress on sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia) seedlings

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/665/2017-pse ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (No. 12) ◽

pp. 545-551 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wu Guo-Qiang ◽

Liu Hai-Long ◽

Feng Rui-Jun ◽

Wang Chun-Mei ◽

Du Yong-Yong

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Salt Tolerance ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Membrane Permeability ◽

Chlorophyll Content ◽

Salinity Stress ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Organic Solutes ◽

Relative Membrane Permeability

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the application of silicon (Si) ameliorates the detrimental effects of salinity stress on sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia). Three-week-old seedlings were exposed to 0 and 100 mmol/L NaCl with or without 1 mmol/L Si for 7 days. The results showed that salinity stress significantly reduced plant growth, shoot chlorophyll content and root K+ concentration, but increased shoot malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, relative membrane permeability (RMP) and Na+ concentrations of shoot and root in sainfoin compared to the control (no added Si and NaCl). However, the addition of Si significantly enhanced growth, chlorophyll content of shoot, K+ and soluble sugars accumulation in root, while it reduced shoot MDA concentration, RMP and Na+ accumulation of shoot and root in plants under salt stress. It is clear that silicon ameliorates the adverse effects of salt stress on sainfoin by limiting Na+ uptake and enhancing selectivity for K+, and by adjusting the levels of organic solutes. The present study provides physiological insights into understanding the roles of silicon in salt tolerance in sainfoin.

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Responses to Drought and Salinity in the Endangered Species Ligularia sibirica (L.) Cass.

Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Horticulture ◽

10.15835/buasvmcn-hort:12286 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 252

Author(s):

Andreea Natalia Matei ◽

Mohamad Al Hassan ◽

Monica Boscaiu ◽

Valeriu Alexiu ◽

Oscar Vicente

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Salt Stress ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Stress Factors ◽

Plant Distribution ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Stress Biomarker

The negative effects of environmental stress factors on plant distribution and survival are increasing due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. We have analysed some responses to abiotic stress in Ligularia sibirica, a postglacial relict that is critically endangered in Europe. L. sibirica seedlings were subjected to water or salt stress treatments in the greenhouse. After the treatments, plant material was harvested and several growth parameters were measured; leaf contents of common osmolytes, the degree of oxidative stress affecting the plants and the level of antioxidant phenolic compounds were also determined. Both, drought and, especially, salt stress had a negative effect on the growth of L. sibirica plants. Treated plants showed an increase in proline (Pro) and total soluble sugars (TSS) levels, stronger under salt stress. Malondialdehyde (MDA, an oxidative stress biomarker) contents almost doubled, and antioxidant phenolics increased significantly in salt-stressed, but not in water-stressed plants. Pro accumulation can be used as a salt and drought stress biomarker in L. sibirica and, together with TSS, likely contributes to osmotic adjustment under stress. Increase of antioxidant phenolics appears to partly compensate the salt-induced generation of oxidative stress.

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The Effects of Halomonas sp. and Azotobacter sp. on Ameliorating the Adverse Effect of Salinity in Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

10.20944/preprints202106.0391.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Arghavan Salimi ◽

Mohammad Etemadi ◽

Saeid Eshghi ◽

Akbar Karami ◽

Javad Alizargar

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Salinity Stress ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria ◽

Nacl Salinity ◽

Stress Markers ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Plant Growth Promoting

The role of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on enhancing tolerance of plants to abiotic stresses is well reported, but the effects of RGPRs on plants under salinity stress are not widely studied in the literature. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of Halomonas sp. and Azotobacter sp. on antioxidant activity, secondary metabolites, and biochemicals changes of purple basil under salinity stress conditions. The applied salt concentrations in this study were 50, 100, and 150 mM sodium chloride (NaCl). Salinity stress had a negative effect on plant growth parameters. Moreover, a reduction in some of the osmolytes and oxidative stress markers was observed. Inoculated plants ameliorated the oxidative damage by reducing the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents and by increasing osmolytes (proline, total proteins, and soluble sugars), antioxidant enzymes activities (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase) and secondary metabolites (flavonoids). Overall, among treatments, plants inoculated with Azotobacter showed a better impact on physiological attributes to alleviate the adverse effects of 150 mM NaCl salinity stress on basil growth.

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Exogenous Nitric Oxide Reinforces Photosynthetic Efficiency, Osmolyte, Mineral Uptake, Antioxidant, Expression of Stress-Responsive Genes and Ameliorates the Effects of Salinity Stress in Wheat

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10081693 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1693

Author(s):

Ghalia S. H. Alnusairi ◽

Yasser S. A. Mazrou ◽

Sameer H. Qari ◽

Amr A. Elkelish ◽

Mona H. Soliman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Oxidative Damage ◽

Salinity Stress ◽

Antioxidant System ◽

Photosynthetic Efficiency ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Mineral Elements ◽

Protective Mechanisms ◽

Concomitant Reduction

Salinity stress is one of the major environmental constraints responsible for a reduction in agricultural productivity. This study investigated the effect of exogenously applied nitric oxide (NO) (50 μM and 100 μM) in protecting wheat plants from NaCl-induced oxidative damage by modulating protective mechanisms, including osmolyte accumulation and the antioxidant system. Exogenously sourced NO proved effective in ameliorating the deleterious effects of salinity on the growth parameters studied. NO was beneficial in improving the photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content in normal and NaCl-treated wheat plants. Moreover, NO-treated plants maintained a greater accumulation of proline and soluble sugars, leading to higher relative water content maintenance. Exogenous-sourced NO at both concentrations up-regulated the antioxidant system for averting the NaCl-mediated oxidative damage on membranes. The activity of antioxidant enzymes increased the protection of membrane structural and functional integrity and photosynthetic efficiency. NO application imparted a marked effect on uptake of key mineral elements such as nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and calcium (Ca) with a concomitant reduction in the deleterious ions such as Na+. Greater K and reduced Na uptake in NO-treated plants lead to a considerable decline in the Na/K ratio. Enhancing of salt tolerance by NO was concomitant with an obvious down-regulation in the relative expression of SOS1, NHX1, AQP, and OSM-34, while D2-protein was up-regulated.

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Identification of Salt and Drought Biochemical Stress Markers in Several Silene vulgaris Populations

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11030800 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 800 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Aleksandra Koźmińska ◽

Alina Wiszniewska ◽

Ewa Hanus-Fajerska ◽

Monica Boscaiu ◽

Mohamad Al Hassan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Photosynthetic Pigments ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Total Phenolic ◽

Enzymatic Antioxidants ◽

Silene Vulgaris ◽

Chlorophylls A And B ◽

Monovalent Ions ◽

Contrasting Habitats

This study attempted to determine short-term responses to drought and salt stress in different Silene vulgaris genotypes and to identify potential abiotic stress biochemical indicators in this species. Four populations from contrasting habitats were subjected to drought and three levels of salinity under controlled greenhouse conditions. The determination of several growth parameters after the stress treatments allowed for ranking the tolerance to stress of the four analyzed populations on the basis of their relative degree of stress-induced growth inhibition. This was then correlated with changes in the leaf levels of monovalent ions (Na+, Cl−, and K+), photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls a and b, carotenoids), osmolytes (total soluble sugars, proline), and non-enzymatic antioxidants (total phenolic compounds and flavonoids). Despite the observed differences, all four populations appeared to be relatively tolerant to both stress conditions, which in general did not cause a significant degradation of photosynthetic pigments and did not generate oxidative stress in the plants. Drought and salinity tolerance in S. vulgaris was mostly dependent on the use of Na+ and K+ for osmotic adjustment under stress, a mechanism that appeared to be constitutive, and not stress-induced, since relatively high concentrations of these cations (without reaching toxic levels) were also present in the leaves of control plants. The inhibition of additional transportation of toxic ions to the leaves, in response to increasing external salinity, seemed to be a relevant mechanism of tolerance, specifically to salt stress, whereas accumulation of soluble sugars under drought conditions may have contributed to tolerance to drought.

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Responses to Salt Stress in Portulaca: Insight into Its Tolerance Mechanisms

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9121660 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1660

Author(s):

Orsolya Borsai ◽

Mohamad Al Hassan ◽

Cornel Negrușier ◽

M. Dolores Raigón ◽

Monica Boscaiu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Salt Stress ◽

Photosynthetic Pigments ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Total Phenolic ◽

Saline Stress ◽

Enzymatic Antioxidants ◽

Stress Markers ◽

Monovalent Ions

Climate change and its detrimental effects on agricultural production, freshwater availability and biodiversity accentuated the need for more stress-tolerant varieties of crops. This requires unraveling the underlying pathways that convey tolerance to abiotic stress in wild relatives of food crops, industrial crops and ornamentals, whose tolerance was not eroded by crop cycles. In this work we try to demonstrate the feasibility of such strategy applying and investigating the effects of saline stress in different species and cultivars of Portulaca. We attempted to unravel the main mechanisms of stress tolerance in this genus and to identify genotypes with higher tolerance, a procedure that could be used as an early detection method for other ornamental and minor crops. To investigate these mechanisms, six-week-old seedlings were subjected to saline stress for 5 weeks with increasing salt concentrations (up to 400 mM NaCl). Several growth parameters and biochemical stress markers were determined in treated and control plants, such as photosynthetic pigments, monovalent ions (Na+, K+ and Cl−), different osmolytes (proline and soluble sugars), oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde—a by-product of membrane lipid peroxidation—MDA) and non-enzymatic antioxidants (total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids). The applied salt stress inhibited plant growth, degraded photosynthetic pigments, increased concentrations of specific osmolytes in both leaves and roots, but did not induce significant oxidative stress, as demonstrated by only small fluctuations in MDA levels. All Portulaca genotypes analyzed were found to be Na+ and Cl− includers, accumulating high amounts of these ions under saline stress conditions, but P. grandiflora proved to be more salt tolerant, showing only a small reduction under growth stress, an increased flower production and the lowest reduction in K+/Na+ rate in its leaves.

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Effects of vitamin pre-sowing treatment on sweet maize seedlings irrigated with saline water

Acta Agronómica ◽

10.15446/acag.v69n1.67528 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 20-25

Author(s):

Eduardo Pradi Vendruscolo ◽

Alexsander Seleguini

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Salinity Stress ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Saline Water ◽

Initial Growth ◽

Initial Development ◽

Combined Application ◽

Maize Seeds ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Combined Solution

Salinity stress represents an obstacle for the production of plants of commercial interest, including sweet maize. Among the techniques used to suppress the effects caused by excess salts in the soil is the exogenous application of vitamins. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the pre-sowing treatment of sweet maize seeds in solutions of thiamine, niacin and these two vitamins combined on the development of the plants irrigated with saline water. The treatments were composed by the 24 h pre-sowing treatment with water, thiamine solution (thiamine 100 mg L-1), niacin solution (niacin 100 mg L-1) and a combined solution with these two vitamins (thiamine 50 mg L-1 + niacin 50 mg L-1) irrigated with saline water. A control (pre-sowing treatment with water and irrigation with non-saline water) was also used. It was observed that salinity stress affects the sweet maize initial development. Application of isolate thiamine or niacin and its combined application improves the relative contents of chlorophyll ‘a’ and total, height of shoot, leaf number, diameter of stem and shoot, root and total dry matter, reducing dry matter losses by 8.89%, 25.46% and 39.60%, respectively. Soaking seeds for 24 h in thiamine and niacin solutions improve the initial growth of sweet maize plants under salt stress and a combined vitamin solution (thiamine 50 mg L-1 + niacin 50 mg L-1) effectively reduces the salt stress negative effect on the initial development of these plants.

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Assessing the Adaptive Mechanisms of Two Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes to Salinity Stress

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11101979 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1979

Author(s):

Ulkar Ibrahimova ◽

Zarifa Suleymanova ◽

Marian Brestic ◽

Alamdar Mammadov ◽

Omar M. Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lipid Peroxidation ◽

Triticum Aestivum ◽

Salt Stress ◽

Salinity Stress ◽

Osmotic Potential ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Salt Tolerant ◽

Wheat Genotypes ◽

Tolerant Genotype

This work deals with the assessment of physiological and biochemical responses to salt stress, as well as the regulation of the expression of the K+/Na+ transporter gene-TaHKT1;5 of two Triticum aestivum L. genotypes with contrasting tolerance. According to the observations, salinity stress caused lipid peroxidation; accumulation of soluble sugars and proline; decreased osmotic potential, Fv/Fm value, and K+/Na+ ratio; and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes in both genotypes. In the salt-tolerant genotype, the activity of enzymes, the amounts of soluble sugars and proline were higher, the osmotic potential and the lipid peroxidation were lower than in the sensitive one, and the Fv/Fm value remained unchanged. A comparison of the accumulation of Na+ and K+ ions in the roots and leaves showed that the Na+ content in the leaves is lower. The selective transport of K+ ions from roots to leaves was more efficient in the salt-tolerant genotype Mirbashir-128; consequently, the K+/Na+ ratio in the leaves and roots of this genotype was higher compared with the sensitive Fatima genotype. The semi-quantitative RT-PCR expression experiments on TaHKT1;5 indicated that this gene was not expressed in the leaf of the wheat genotypes. Under salt stress, the expression level of the TaHKT1;5 gene increased in the root tissues of the salt-sensitive genotype, while it decreased in the salt-tolerant wheat genotype. The results obtained suggest that the ion status and salt tolerance of the wheat genotypes are related to the TaHKT1;5 gene activity.

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Biochar, Vermicompost, and Compost as Soil Organic Amendments: Influence on Growth Parameters, Nitrate and Chlorophyll Content of Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cycla)

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10030346 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 346 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Angela Libutti ◽

Vincenzo Trotta ◽

Anna Rivelli

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Beta Vulgaris ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Higher Plant ◽

Swiss Chard ◽

Quantitative Characteristics ◽

Positive Effect ◽

Qualitative Characteristics

Soil addition with organic amendments is an issue that receives growing attention in the agricultural sector. However, the effects of such materials on plant growth and crop yield are highly variable in the literature. This study aims to evaluate the influence of soil addition with biochar (from vine pruning residues), vermicompost (from cattle manure), and three different composts (from olive pomace or cattle anaerobic digestate), on the quali-quantitative response of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cycla) grown in pots. The organic amendments were applied to the soil in two doses to provide 140 and 280 kg N ha−1, respectively. Two growth cycles were considered, and, at each leaf cut, plants were analyzed for growth parameters (height, fresh weight, leaf number, and leaf area) and qualitative characteristics (nitrogen, nitrate, and pigment leaf content). Swiss chard responded positively to organic amendment and, particularly when the soil was treated with compost from animal wastes, higher plant growth and pigment leaf content were observed. Nitrate leaf content was always well below the NO3− thresholds established by the European Commission Regulations. Biochar application did not show a positive effect on the quali-quantitative characteristics of Swiss chard, likely due to benefits that may be achieved over time.

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Melatonin Positively Influences the Photosynthetic Machinery and Antioxidant System of Avena sativa during Salinity Stress

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants8120610 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 610 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nisha Varghese ◽

Onoud Alyammahi ◽

Sarah Nasreddine ◽

Abla Alhassani ◽

Mayank Anand Gururani

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Salinity Stress ◽

Avena Sativa ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Photosynthetic Apparatus ◽

The Other ◽

Photosynthetic Parameters ◽

Transcription Factor Genes ◽

Genes Encoding ◽

Almost All

Recent studies have demonstrated melatonin protects various crops against abiotic stresses. However, the effects of melatonin on the photosynthetic apparatus of stressed plants is poorly characterized. We investigated the effects of melatonin pretreatment on photosynthesis and tolerance to salinity stress in Avena sativa (oat) plants. Oat plants were exposed to four treatments (three replicate pots per treatment): well-watered (WW; control); watered with 300 mM salt solution for 10 days (NaCl); pretreated with 100 µM melatonin solution for 7 days then watered normally for 10 days (Mel+W); or pretreated with 100 µM melatonin for 7 days then 300 mM salt for 10 days (Mel+NaCl). Considerable differences in growth parameters, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, proline accumulation, lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage, and growth parameters were observed between groups. Genes encoding three major antioxidant enzymes were upregulated in the Mel+NaCl group compared to the other groups. Chlorophyll-a fluorescence kinetic analyses revealed that almost all photosynthetic parameters were improved in Mel+NaCl plants compared to the other treatments. Analysis of genes encoding the major extrinsic proteins of photosystem II (PSII) revealed that PsbA, PsbB, PsbC, and PsbD (but not PsbO) were highly upregulated in Mel+NaCl plants compared to the other groups, indicating melatonin positively influenced photosynthesis under control conditions and salt stress. In addition, melatonin upregulated stress-responsive NAC transcription factor genes in plants exposed to salt stress. These findings suggest melatonin pretreatment improves photosynthesis and enhances salt tolerance in oat plants.

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