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Varietal differences in physiological and biochemical responses to salinity stress in six finger millet plants.

ABSTRACT: Finger millet is an important cereal that is grown in semi-arid and arid regions of East-Africa. Salinity stress is a major environmental impediment for the crop growth and production. This study aimed to understand the physiological and biochemical responses to salinity stress of six Kenyan finger millet varieties (GBK043137, GBK043128, GBK043124, GBK043122, GBK043094, GBK043050) grown across different agroecological zones under NaCl-induced salinity stress (100, 200 and 300 mM NaCl). Seeds were germinated on the sterile soil and treated using various concentrations of NaCl for 2 weeks. Early-seedling stage of germinated plants were irrigated with the same salt concentrations for 60 days. The results indicated depression in germination percentage, shoot and root growth rate, leaf relative water content, chlorophyll content, leaf K+ concentration, and leaf K+/Na+ ratios with increased salt levels and the degree of increment differed among the varieties. On the contrary, the content of proline, malonaldehyde, leaf total proteins, and reduced sugar increased with increasing salinity. At the same time, the leaf Na+ and Cl- amounts of all plants increased substantially with increasing stress levels. Clustering analysis placed GBK043094 and GBK043137 together and these varieties were identified as salt-tolerant based on their performance. Taken together, our findings indicated a significant varietal variability for most of the parameters analysed. The superior varieties identified could be used as promising genetic resources in future breeding programmes directed towards development of salt-tolerant finger millet hybrids. Further analysis at genomic level needs to be undertaken to better understand the genetic factors that promote salinity tolerance in finger millet.

SUBMITTER: Mukami A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7415052 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The plant St. John's wort contains high levels of melatonin, an important biochemical that has both beneficial and adverse effects on stress. Therefore, a method for increasing melatonin levels in plants without adversely affecting their growth is economically important. In this study, we investigated the regulation of melatonin levels in St. John's wort by exposing samples to salinity stress (150 mM) and salicylic acid (0.25 mM) to augment stress tolerance. The results indicated that salinity stress significantly reduced the plant chlorophyll content and damaged the photosystem, plant growth and development. Additionally, these were reconfirmed with biochemical indicators; the levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and proline were increased and the activities of antioxidants were reduced. However, a significant increase was found in melatonin content under salinity stress through upregulation in the relative expression of tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC), tryptamine 5-hydroxylase (T5H), serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT), and N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT). The salicylic acid (SA) treatment considerably improved their photosynthetic activity, the maximum photochemical quantum yield (133%), the potential activity of PSⅡ (294%), and the performance index of electron flux to the final PS I electron acceptors (2.4%). On the other hand, SA application reduced ABA levels (32%); enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) (15.4%) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (120%); and increased polyphenol (6.4%) and flavonoid (75.4%) levels in salinity-stressed St. John's wort plants. Similarly, SA application under NaCl stress significantly modulated the melatonin content in terms of ion balance; the level of melatonin was reduced after SA application on salt-treated seedlings but noticeably higher than on only SA-treated and non-treated seedlings. Moreover, the proline content was reduced considerably and growth parameters, such as plant biomass, shoot length, and chlorophyll content, were enhanced following treatment of salinity-stressed St. John's wort plants with salicylic acid. These findings demonstrate the beneficial impact of salt stress in terms of a cost-effective approach to extract melatonin in larger quantities from St. John's wort. They also suggest the efficiency of salicylic acid in alleviating stress tolerance and promoting growth of St. John's wort plants.

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Varietal differences in physiological and biochemical responses to salinity stress in six finger millet plants.

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