2026· Romanian Agricultural Research· Vol 43, pp. 853-865· 0 citations
TL;DR
The endophytic fungus Aspergillus terreus Nf1 enhances maize's salt resilience, demonstrating that NF1 promotes growth by mitigating salt stress effects.
Abstract
Salinization is associated with a high content of sodium chloride (NaCl) in the soil, which affects adverse plant growth and agricultural yield. In this study, the role of endophytic fungus Aspergillus terreus Nf1 in the alleviation of NaCl stress in maize seedlings was investigated. The fungus was grown in Czapek medium with 100 mM and 200 mM NaCl. It resulted in growth promotion and an increase in flavonoids, salicylic acid (SA), and phenols; however, there was a decrease in the concentration of IAA and soluble sugars. Exposure to 70 mM and 140 mM NaCl in maize seedlings led to decreased growth in terms of length of roots and shoots as well as fresh and dry weights. Growth parameters were significantly improved in the case of treatment with A. terreus Nf1. In treated plants, there were increases in flavonoids, SA, phenolics, proline, and chlorophyll content as well as in MDA content reduction. The endophyte enhances maize's salt resilience, demonstrating that NF1 promotes growth by mitigating salt stress effects.
It is shown that endophytic fungi have the potential to enhance plants’ resilience and provide a promising controlled-environment approach to enhance crop productivity in metal- and salt-contaminated soils.
Sobia Khan, Salman Khan, Afshan Afshan et al.· PLoS ONE· 0 citations
Overall, SA effectively alleviated salt-induced oxidative stress and improved physiological stability in cauliflower seedlings, indicating its strong potential as a bioregulator to enhance salinity tolerance in Brassica crops.
N. Kayak, N. Çetin, Y. Çelik· Russian journal of plant phy...· 0 citations
Soil salinization poses a significant threat to agricultural production, necessitating innovative agronomic strategies to mitigate its impact. Salinity stress is a critical abiotic factor that hampers tomato growth by causing ionic imbalances, oxidative damage, and disruptions in physiological systems. This study investigated the effect of sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) in reducing salt stress in tomato plants exposed to 75 and 150 mM NaCl. The results indicated that salinity substantially decreased plant growth, the content of photosynthetic pigments, and the uptake of essential mineral nutrients. Concurrently, it heightened oxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA), electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Treatment with Na₂SiO₃, particularly at a concentration of 2 mM, significantly improved growth performance and photosynthetic pigment content. Silicon treatments enhanced the antioxidant defense mechanisms by increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), and peroxidase (POX). Additionally, levels of ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) were raised, leading to reduced oxidative damage and stabilized cellular membranes. The application of silicon also improved ionic homeostasis by decreasing sodium ion (Na⁺) concentration while enhancing the absorption of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K⁺), and silicon. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that silicon effectively alleviates salt stress in tomato plants by improving redox balance, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and regulating ion transport. The most effective concentration of Na₂SiO₃ was found to be 2 mM. The exogenous application of sodium silicate, especially at this concentration, helps to mitigate salinity-induced impairments in tomato plants by enhancing physiological performance, antioxidant defense, and ionic balance. This suggests its potential use as a sustainable agricultural strategy under salt-affected conditions.
I. Badawy, H. I. Mohamed, Hossam M. Fouda et al.· BMC Plant Biology· 0 citations
The potential of SZ01 as a microbial inoculant to promote plant growth and productivity in saline–alkaline environments, with implications for both medicinal and agricultural crop production, is highlighted.
