Boosting Seed Growth with Salt Defense Tricks

Greg Howard
9th March, 2024

Boosting Seed Growth with Salt Defense Tricks

Image Source: Natural Science News, 2024

Key Findings

  • Study from the University of Calcutta shows seed priming can boost plant salt tolerance
  • Plants use two strategies: keeping sodium out of leaves or safely storing it in tissues
  • Different priming agents target these strategies to improve plants' salt management
Soil salinity is a significant issue that affects agricultural productivity worldwide. High salt levels in soil can damage plants, reducing their growth and yield. This is particularly problematic as the global population rises and food demand increases. To address this challenge, scientists have been exploring various strategies to enhance plant tolerance to salinity. One promising approach is seed priming, a technique that prepares seeds to better withstand stressful conditions like high salinity. The University of Calcutta has conducted a comprehensive review[1] of how different priming agents, referred to as halo-agents, can modify the way plants handle salt, potentially offering a solution to this agricultural problem. The study from the University of Calcutta delves into the physiological mechanisms that plants use to cope with salt. Plants that tolerate salt well have two key strategies: ion-exclusion, which prevents too much sodium (Na+) from entering the plant, and tissue tolerance, which allows the plant to safely store sodium in its tissues. Some plants are good at keeping sodium out of their leaves (Na+ excluders), while others, known as Na+ accumulators, can take up sodium into their leaves and use it to their advantage. However, salt-sensitive plants, although they are Na+ accumulators, lack the robust mechanisms to deal with high sodium levels effectively. Seed priming with halo-agents can 'rewire' a plant's response to salt by enhancing these salt tolerance mechanisms. However, not all halo-agents work the same way. The review notes that agents rich in calcium and potassium can boost the plant's ability to exclude sodium at the root level, thus keeping leaf sodium levels low. On the other hand, priming agents that contain sodium can improve the plant's internal tolerance mechanisms, helping to sequester sodium within vacuoles—essentially storage compartments within plant cells—and use it as a low-cost way to regulate water and solute balance. Earlier studies have laid the groundwork for this understanding. Research on legumes[2] demonstrated that seed priming with NaCl could improve tissue tolerance without significantly altering sodium accumulation. This priming helped the plants maintain a better balance of sodium and potassium, which is crucial for plant health under salt stress. The broader significance of priming in enhancing stress tolerance is also well-established[3]. It has been shown to impact plant growth positively and improve stress tolerance at various developmental stages, including germination and early seedling establishment. Furthermore, the potential of seed priming is still being explored, with recent global crises such as climate change underscoring the need for increased food production while preserving sustainability[4]. Seed priming has been identified as a valuable tool that can enhance germination and stress resilience in changing environments. Understanding how priming affects pre-germinative metabolism and gene expression is crucial for optimizing this technique. In rice, a staple food for much of the world's population, seed halopriming has been shown to enhance growth and decrease saline intolerance in certain cultivars[5]. This treatment induced the expression of genes that help balance osmotic pressure and prevent the accumulation of toxic sodium concentrations, leading to improved salinity tolerance. The review from the University of Calcutta contributes to this body of work by summarizing how various halo-agents target different physiological mechanisms to confer enhanced salt tolerance. This knowledge can help optimize crop stress performance, which is vital for ensuring food security in the face of soil salinity challenges. By understanding the specific ways in which different priming agents affect plant responses to salt stress, agriculturalists can tailor seed treatments to the needs of particular crops and environments, potentially improving crop yields and sustainability in saline-prone areas.

AgricultureBiochemPlant Science

References

Main Study

1) Moving forward to understand the alteration of physiological mechanism by seed priming with different halo-agents under salt stress.

Published 8th March, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-024-01425-0

Related Studies

2) Seed priming with NaCl helps to improve tissue tolerance, potassium retention ability of plants, and protects the photosynthetic ability in two different legumes, chickpea and lentil, under salt stress.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-023-04150-y

3) Seed priming can enhance and retain stress tolerance in ensuing generations by inducing epigenetic changes and trans-generational memory.

https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.13881

4) Molecular dynamics of seed priming at the crossroads between basic and applied research.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-023-02988-w

5) Seed Halopriming Improves Salinity Tolerance of Some Rice Cultivars During Seedling Stage.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40529-022-00354-9


Related Articles

An unhandled error has occurred. Reload đź—™