Molecular and biochemical responses of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L) to varying intensities and durations of salt stress

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

2 Crop and Horticultural Science Research Department, Khuzestan Agricultural and Natural Resources, Research and Education Center, AREEO, Ahwaz, Iran.

3 Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L) is one of the most important cereals globally, serving as both food for humans and forage for livestock. Salinity stress is also one of the most important abiotic stresses, reducing plant growth and yield. Accordingly, this study was conducted to investigate the biochemical changes in two sorghum genotypes, one tolerant and one sensitive, under varying intensities and durations of salt stress, and to analyze the expression patterns of selected bZIP family genes and their correlation with plant defense mechanisms.
Materials and methods: This experiment was conducted as a factorial split-plot design within a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2021, as a pot experiment at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan. The salt stress treatments included four levels: control (water), 75, 125, and 175 mM NaCl, which were applied at the 4-5 leaf stage. Leaf samples were collected at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after the imposition of stress. Then, traits such as membrane stability, soluble proteins, catalase activity, and superoxide dismutase activity were evaluated. Real-time PCR was also used to conduct gene expression analyses in both tolerant and sensitive genotypes.
Results: The results showed that as the intensity of salinity stress increased, the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase, as well as electrolyte leakage, increased. Catalase and superoxide dismutase activities increased by 2.7 and 4.9 times, respectively, and Electrolyte leakage increased by 75%. Soluble protein content decreased significantly under salt stress, by 55% compared to non-stressed conditions. Additionally, the gene expression analysis of SORBI_3002G225100, SORBI_3003G332200, SORBI_3003G368300, SORBI_3010G081800, and SORBI_3004G293500 revealed significant differences in gene expression patterns between sampling times after treatment in both sensitive and tolerant genotypes. The relative expression levels of these genes increased during the salt stress treatment.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that sorghum, as a salt-tolerant plant, employs mechanisms such as enhanced expression of stress-related genes and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes to improve its tolerance to salt stress. Moreover, the tolerant cultivar "Fumen" performed better under salt stress than the sensitive cultivar, with higher antioxidant enzyme activities and greater expression of salt-tolerance-related genes. Therefore, the use of salt-tolerant genotypes can be a valuable strategy for improving environmental stress tolerance in plants.

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References

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