Abstract
Salt stress is a primary abiotic constraint that adversely affects the growth and development of tomato plants. Silicon, a beneficial element, has shown potential in mitigating various abiotic stresses. However, although numerous studies have been conducted in this field, the precise mechanism by which exogenous silicon mitigates salt stress in tomato seedlings remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the physiological responses and underlying molecular mechanisms in tomato seedlings under NaCl stress with or without silicon application. The results showed that salt stress severely inhibited seedling growth, as indicated by reductions in shoot and root fresh weight and plant height, while this damage was markedly alleviated by the application of exogenous silicon. Compared to the treatment with NaCl alone (Na), salt stress plus silicon treatment (Na + Si) improved plant growth, the leaf chlorophyll a content, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and the proline content and decreased the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in tomato seedlings. Transcriptomic analysis showed that there were 435 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (397 upregulated and 38 downregulated) between Na + Si and Na treatments. Further enrichment analysis showed that the upregulated DEGs in Na + Si treatment were enriched in response to salt stress, ethylene and abscisic acid biosynthesis process, lignin catabolic process, cell wall biogenesis and the MAPK signaling pathway. Additionally, exogenous silicon application (Na + Si) upregulated the expression of key families of transcription factors, notably the AP2/ERF, WRKY and NAC families. Taken together, our study preliminarily revealed candidate genes and metabolic pathways affected by exogenous silicon treatment, which may provide a strategy for improving the adaptation of tomato to salt stress.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Salt stress reduced tomato shoot and root fresh weight and plant height.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- salt stresse0
- Outcome
- shoot and root fresh weight and plant heighte0
- Direction
- reductionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“salt stress severely inhibited seedling growth, as indicated by reductions in shoot and root fresh weight and plant height”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon markedly alleviated salt-stress damage to tomato seedling growth.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- application of exogenous silicone0
- Outcome
- damagee0
- Direction
- alleviatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“this damage was markedly alleviated by the application of exogenous silicon”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon with NaCl improved tomato plant growth, chlorophyll a, photosynthetic rate, and proline relative to NaCl alone.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- salt stress plus silicon treatment (Na + Si)e0
- Outcome
- leaf chlorophyll a content, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and the proline contente0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- treatment with NaCl alone (Na)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the treatment with NaCl alone (Na), salt stress plus silicon treatment (Na + Si) improved plant growth, the leaf chlorophyll a content, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and the proline content”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon with NaCl decreased ROS and MDA contents in tomato seedlings relative to NaCl alone.
- Taxon
- tomato seedlingsSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- salt stress plus silicon treatment (Na + Si)e0
- Outcome
- contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA)e0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Comparator
- treatment with NaCl alone (Na)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the treatment with NaCl alone (Na), salt stress plus silicon treatment (Na + Si) improved plant growth, the leaf chlorophyll a content, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and the proline content and decreased the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in tomato seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
The silicon plus salt and salt-only treatments differed by 435 expressed genes, 397 upregulated and 38 downregulated.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Na + Sie0
- Outcome
- differentially expressed genes (DEGs)e0
- Value
- 435e0
- Qualifier
- 397 upregulated and 38 downregulatede0
- Comparator
- Na treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there were 435 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (397 upregulated and 38 downregulated) between Na + Si and Na treatments”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Upregulated genes under silicon plus salt were enriched in salt, hormone, lignin, cell wall, and MAPK processes.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Na + Si treatmente0
- Outcome
- enriched in response to salt stress, ethylene and abscisic acid biosynthesis process, lignin catabolic process, cell wall biogenesis and the MAPK signaling pathwaye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the upregulated DEGs in Na + Si treatment were enriched in response to salt stress, ethylene and abscisic acid biosynthesis process, lignin catabolic process, cell wall biogenesis and the MAPK signaling pathway”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon plus salt upregulated AP2/ERF, WRKY, and NAC transcription factor families.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- exogenous silicon application (Na + Si)e0
- Gene
- AP2/ERF, WRKY and NAC familiese0
- Outcome
- expression of key families of transcription factorse0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“exogenous silicon application (Na + Si) upregulated the expression of key families of transcription factors, notably the AP2/ERF, WRKY and NAC families”
t0“tomato”
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